The study of persuasion began as the focus of social psychology . Several models of information processing were developed to provide researchers with a means of understanding and predicting the multiple ways in which attitudes might be formed or changed. This paper focuses on two of these models, that is, The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (ELM) and The Heuristic Systematic Model of Persuasion (HSM).
ELM sets out to explain how humans process stimuli differently and the outcomes of these processes on changing attitudes and behavior (Cacioppo & Petty, 1985). It assumes that individuals sometimes differ in how carefully they think about a message and the position or behavior it is supporting. The principal concept of this theory is that persuasion is achieved following two routes; central and peripheral. The central route involves individuals carefully considering the elements of the message to determine whether its proposal makes sense and will benefit them in some way. A high level of elaboration is involved, with a significant focus on the message's strengths. In the peripheral route to persuasion, individuals use simple cues when processing the information. There is a low level of elaboration as the person isn't scrutinizing the information and may even be influenced by other factors such as distractions.
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HSM is quite similar to ELM, as it also attempts to explain how people receive and process persuasive messages. It suggests that individuals are likely to reduce their use of cognitive resources, which affects their intake and processing of information (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). HSM comprises of heuristic processing and systematic processing. Heuristic processing involves the utilization of familiar knowledge stored in one's memory. Minimal cognitive effort is exerted due to reliance on knowledge structures. For example, information delivered by experts is supported by recipients without careful thought and analysis. In the systematic approach, there is comprehensive and analytical processing of the information before generating judgment confidence. There is scrutiny of the logical validity of the information and qualifications of the source of information.
The two models, although they are similar in a lot of ways, also have their differences. In the HSM model, both heuristic and systematic processing can co-occur, which not the case for central route processing and peripheral is processing in the ELM model. Another difference is that heuristic processing can exert a significant and independent influence on persuasion, unlike the ELM model (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993).
In my day-to-day life, I mostly utilize the ELM model, specifically the central route processing, for example, in purchasing a new TV from an online platform such as Amazon. Being a technophile and a regular Amazon user, my interest in technology will lead me to be more attentive to the information about the TV and its design. I’ll focus on the strength of the information Amazon offers about their product. I’ll also be inclined to look at the ratings and reviews of specific TV models and their pros and cons to help in my decision making. Another example is in making my voting decision during elections. I think through the message and arguments of all candidates and look at the implications of their ideas. My choice would not be affected by cues such as others’ choices or rewards offered by certain candidates.
A persuader must understand both routes of persuasion. This helps them know how individuals make their decisions and what information they use to reach their specific decisions. Understanding both models would help in developing messages as they help understand the thought process of audiences. By understanding how an audience thinks, it is easy to create messages that they will better understand and remember. For example, by understanding the central route processing and systematic processing, Amazon will make product information easy for users to access, offer detailed product descriptions, and provide in-depth product reviews written by other buyers. Understanding peripheral and heuristic processing will lead them to create an attractive visual presentation of products. In conclusion, it can be seen that there are several models used by humans to process information during decision making. These models can be applied in different situations to make choices.
References
Cacioppo, J. T., & Petty, R. E. (1985). Central and peripheral routes to persuasion: The role of message repetition. Psychological processes and advertising effects , 911 .
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes . Harcourt brace Jovanovich college publishers.
