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ELABORATION LIKELIHOOD MODEL When you listen to persuasive…
ELABORATION LIKELIHOOD MODEL
When you listen to persuasive communication, what contributes to your decision to change your mind, to buy a product, or to participate in an activity? How do factors related to who is speaking, the content and context of the communication, and your motivation inform your attitude and behavior?
Think back to Week 2 when you examined ego involvement and its influence on decision making. This week, you are exploring “routes to persuasion.” Consider in what ways your degree of involvement informs how you process information. Keep in mind that “routes to persuasion” are constructs, not physical pathways in the brain. The routes we take differ depending on the situation. Sometimes we take more time to deliberate on information, which is the central route. However, we don’t always have timeor want to take timeto consider all information that comes our way. We make a quick decision by processing through the peripheral route, because it takes less effort and lower ego involvement. Which route do you think you use most often?
For this Assignment, you will explore routes to persuasion by applying the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), presented in the text reading this week, to an experience in your life.
RESOURCES
Perloff, R. M. (2021). The dynamics of persuasion: Communication and attitudes in the 21st century (7th ed.). Routledge.
Chapter 8, “Processing Persuasive Communications”
These chapters of your text cover the key themes for the week. Complete the reading in Chapter 6 to prepare for your Week 3 Discussion post and in Chapter 8 to prepare for your Assignment. Keep in mind that the Week 3 Test for Understanding is based on the information in your text.
This is a copy of sample paper below on how to construct the paper.
Elaboration Likelihood Model
My priorities before enrolling in a bachelor’s program did not include thinking of myself
and what I truly desired in a career or life. I received an associate degree in Early Childhood
Education because I felt solely responsible for my children’s care and working with kids’
younger kids was something I always did. However, I had a persistent inner calling to work in
the field of psychology. I was enrolled at another university before Walden; it was also an online
college that closed to my surprise. Tragic as the school closing, I did not let that stop me from
pursuing my bachelor’s degree, hence Walden University. I recall that phone call about attending
Walden and the advisor named Charles.
The Model
The elaboration likelihood model (ELM), is defined as a dual-processing model that
highlights the processes by which persuasion occurs (Perloff 2017). Within this model there are
two distinct ways people process communications, the central and peripheral routes. People
choose the route to process information depending on the extent to which they elaborate on the
message (Perloff, 2017). Charles had an older male (grandfather) tone and his attitude of
encouraging this path I feel could have contributed to a peripheral route of persuasion
processing. I was able to process his information with no distractions which is another element of
the ELM (Perloff 2017). The peripheral route in my case included me quickly assessing that
online courses would be easier to attend, no driving to campus, flexibility, and most importantly
I would not have a sudden change in raising my children. I trusted Charles and while I knew it
was his job to recruit students, his ability to relate life experiences to educational success helped
me further consider enrollment. I decided to think about it and do my research on Walden
University.
ELM 3
Looking back on my initial conversation between Charles and myself, online schooling
presented an option for attending college I did not consider. I knew that I wanted to continue my
education so I was motivated to listen and processed the message more along the central
processing route (Perloff 2017). I am a person with a high need for cognition and since I was
interested in attending an online school, the nature of my processing, after speaking with Charles
was positive (Perloff 2017). Taking the time to reflect on all that Charles had told me I had a
central attitude change; that Walden University was the best school for me.
Ethics
According to the ELM, the two basic factors that determine processing strategy are
motivation and ability (Perloff, 2017). The persuasive communication I thought was initially
ethical. I was highly motivated and involved in the conversation because the relevance of higher
education would positively affect my life. I, being highly motivated considered the message
seriously, processing the information centrally.
The relationship with this advisor was great and he checked up on my progress after
enrollment, which influenced feelings of making the right decision to start school. Instead of
letting situations in my mind hinder progress, the advisor helped persuade me to step outside my
comfort zone. Online versus attending a campus was a very foreign concept in the beginning.
From an ethical standpoint, the advisor did not impose his values (NOHS, 2015) when discussing
my enrollment. Charles had my best interest at heart even though I knew he was getting paid to
recruit me. His approach and tone with me as he provided the information I needed fit with
Standard 1 and 7. Standard 1 involves building on client strengths and Charles did this
throughout our multiple phone conversations when he answered my questions. He was also
ethical according to Standard 7 because he did not impose his biases on me.
ELM 4
Insights
The ELM opened my eyes to understanding that some communication can be deceptive
in an appeal to influence a person. The model is theoretical and practical for everyday
persuasion. Understanding the audience or person you want to discuss a topic with is key and
high-involvement issues such as gun laws require strong arguments versus peripheral cues if
people want to persuade others (Perloff 2017). Understanding central processing and persuasion
can help me in the future when I am working as a psychologist to increase the personal relevance
of the message. For example, if I was trying to get someone to change their thinking about gun
laws, I would want to know how motivated they are to listen to me and I would provide research
based information so the person might use the central route and process deeply (Perloff 2017).
The more I can help others see the relevance of my information to their concerns or priorities,
they will centrally process my information and hopefully experience lasting positive attitude
changes.
ELM 5
References
National Organization for Human Services (NOHS). (2015). Ethical standards for human service
professionals. Retrieved from http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-
for-hs-professionals
Perloff, R. M. (2017). The dynamics of persuasion: Communication and attitudes in the 21st
century (6th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Week 3 Learning Resources. Review this sample paper Download sample paper as you develop your paper. sample paper above.
Think of a time when you were influenced by someone else to make a substantial change in your life (e.g., enroll in your program at Walden; change jobs; move to another city; or address a habit, such as to stop smoking).
Recall the details of the situation, including the person who influenced you.
Analyze the situation and how you moved through it in terms of the components of the ELM featured in the graphic (Figure 8.4) on page 214 of the text, paying particular attention to the route(s) to persuasion that you used (e.g., when the routes overlapped for you, if they did, or whether you used the same route throughout the situation).
Consider what informed how you engaged with the person(s) who influenced you and other aspects of the situation.
Also, consider the ethics of the method(s) of influence, using the code of ethics you consider most appropriate to the situation.
write paper that addresses the following:
Describe the situation, the change you were influenced to make, who influenced you, and the nature of the influence.
Apply the ELM model, and explain the experience for you in terms of the ELM components.
Explain the ethics of the influence you experienced and how your relationship with the person(s) who influenced you was impacted.
Explain insights you gained from analyzing this experience using the ELM model that you would apply the next time you want to make a change in your life or are encouraged to make a change by others.
Note: Support the responses within your Assignment with evidence from the assigned Learning Resources, including in-text citations. Provide a reference list for resources you used.
