elaboration likelihood model
Summary
The elaboration likelihood model (Petty and Cacioppo) says persuasion works through two routes: the central route, based on careful thought about argument quality, and the peripheral route, based on surface cues. Which route dominates depends on the listener's motivation and ability to think.
Detail
Meaning: The elaboration likelihood model (Petty and Cacioppo) explains how persuasion changes attitudes. Elaboration is how much a person thinks carefully about a message. When motivation (personal relevance, high need for cognition) and ability (no distraction, enough knowledge) are high, the central route is likely: the person weighs evidence and logic, so strong arguments persuade. When either is low, the peripheral route is likely: the person responds to cues such as speaker attractiveness, credibility, or number of arguments. Central-route attitudes tend to last longer and better predict behavior.
On the MCAT: A passage describes an ad or speech given to involved versus uninvolved, or attentive versus distracted, audiences. Predict the effective feature: argument quality for high elaboration, celebrity endorsement or a confident speaker for low elaboration. Questions may also ask you to classify an example as central or peripheral.
Common confusion: The routes are not two fixed types of people. The same person can use either, depending on the topic and situation. Peripheral processing still changes attitudes; the change just tends to be less durable. The model is also not cognitive dissonance, which concerns discomfort from inconsistent beliefs and actions.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Social Psychology (Aronson, Wilson, Akert)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.