Question

What is the Elaboration Likelihood Model and explanation of factors that impact the following: Source message, audience, processing strategy, route, persuasion

Answer 1

• Sometimes, whether listening to a speech or a television advertisement, we are moved by what the speaker says. Other times, we pay less attention to what the person is actually saying and care more about the speaker's presence. The Elaboration Likelihood Model indicates the factors that determine which of these is more likely.
• It is a theory that specifies when people are more likely to be influenced by the content of persuasive communication instead of superficial characteristics, and vice versa. It helps us explain how attitudes are formed and changed through persuasion.
• The model describes two routes to persuasion - central and peripheral - that can be successful in changing someone's attitude under the right circumstances.
• The central route to persuasion is when people elaborate on a persuasive argument, listening carefully and thinking about the logic behind the message. There are times when people are motivated to pay attention to the facts during a speech or other persuasive communication and during those times are persuaded the most by a strong logical argument.
• If a person believes the persuasion to be reliable, convincing and well-constructed, he or she will typically be receptive to a change in attitude that is long-lasting.For example, imagine you are a college student listening to a speech about why the cost of tuition should be increased the following year. If you are attending next year, it's likely this subject would be important to you, and so you would listen closely to the argument.
• Obviously, you would probably not want the tuition to increase. However, if you find the argument to be convincing - say, if you were going to receive a substantial number of benefits - you may change your mind.
• There are other times when people are not motivated by the facts and instead are persuaded by superficial things, such as the attractiveness or fame of the person delivering the message. This is the peripheral route to persuasion - when people do not elaborate on a persuasive argument and instead are swayed by surface characteristics that are peripheral to the message.
• When using this route, peripheral cues enable the individual to use mental shortcuts, accepting or rejecting the argument based on superficial factors instead of actively thinking about the issue.
• Attitude change resulting from the peripheral route is typically temporary and susceptible to additional change.
• For an example of using the peripheral route, imagine you are listening to a debate between two political candidates. It is long and boring, and you zone out for a bit. At the end, though, you favor one particular candidate because he seems more likable and has a warm, soothing voice.
• Your attitude toward the candidate has changed even though you were not paying attention to what he was saying - his demeanor and voice were peripheral cues that you (likely unconsciously) used as a mental shortcut to determine his likability.
• The source is the person or entity who delivers the persuasive appeal, and a number of source characteristics have been shown to influence attitude change. Two of the most commonly studied source variables are credibility and attractiveness.
• Credibility refers to the source’s (a) expertise and (b) trustworthiness. An expert source is one who has relevant knowledge or experience regarding the topic of the persuasive message.
• A trustworthy source is one who lacks ulterior motives and expresses honest opinions based on the information as he or she sees it. You may consider a physician (expert) and your best friend (trustworthy) to be credible sources.
• People often associate attractiveness with positive feelings, and under low elaboration conditions, when there is little effortful thinking about the message, they may decide that they like the shampoo simply because the source makes them feel good.
• Under high elaboration conditions, when thinking is extensive, people may use the attractiveness of the source as evidence that the product gives them beautiful hair. Or, the source might bias their thinking so that positive thoughts selectively come to mind.
• The message refers to all aspects of the persuasive appeal itself such as its length, complexity, language, and so forth. One of the central characteristics of the message is the quality of the arguments it contains.
• The effect of argument quality on persuasion depends on how much the recipient is thinking about the message. When people are unwilling or unable to effort-fully process the message, they are influenced by peripheral cues or heuristics rather than by their analysis of the strength or weakness of the evidence presented.
• Thus, under low processing conditions, a weak message may be persuasive if it is paired with certain factors, such as a credible source. In contrast, when people are motivated and able to think carefully about the message, they will base their attitudes on the analysis of the merits of the evidence.
• For example, messages that have been tailored to match the basis of the recipient’s attitude are generally more persuasive than messages that mismatch. For example, religious types are more persuaded by messages framed in a religious manner.
• The recipient is the target person or audience who receives the persuasive message. As with the source and message, a number of recipient characteristics have been found to influence attitude change.
• People in positive moods tend not to engage in effortful thinking, presumably because they want to maintain their good moods. However, those in positive moods will think carefully about a message if it is expected to advocate something pleasant.
• People in negative moods have been shown to engage in effortful processing of the message, regardless of whether it is expected to be pleasant or unpleasant.
• Some recipient variables influence persuasion by affecting people’s motivation to process the message thoughtfully. Need for cognition is an individual difference that refers to how much people engage in and enjoy thinking.
• Those high in need for cognition tend to like thinking and seek out tasks and activities that are cognitively engaging. In general, these individuals are more likely to carefully consider the merits of the message even when it is not personally relevant. As such, they will base their attitudes on the strength of the evidence.
• Those low in need for cognition, however, do not enjoy thinking as much and tend to avoid tasks that require extensive thinking. Consequently, they are more likely to form their attitudes based on simple associations and heuristics rather than on effortful assessments of the evidence.
• Contextual factors such as the manner and circumstances in which the message is given can also influence persuasion. That is, how the message is presented can be as important as what is presented.
• For example, a persuasive appeal that is introduced in a written format (e.g., in a newspaper) is generally easier to process than is one in an audio format (e.g., on radio) because people can slow the pace of their reading or reread to make sure they understand the arguments.
• Regardless of the influencing variable, persuasion through effortful (central route) processing generally results in stronger, more durable, and longer-lasting attitudes than does persuasion through less effortful (peripheral route) processing.