Elaboration Likelihood Model

🧠 Psychology By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 15, 2026

Quick answer: the ELM says attitudes change either through a central route of careful thought about arguments or a peripheral route driven by surface cues.

Contents

1. Two routes
2. What decides the route
3. Advertising
4. References

Two routes

Central route: careful evaluation of argument quality. Strong arguments persuade, and the resulting attitudes last and predict behaviour.
Peripheral route: reaction to cues such as source attractiveness or expertise, number of arguments, music or celebrities. Change is quick but short-lived.

What decides the route

Elaboration likelihood depends on motivation (personal relevance, need for cognition) and ability (time, knowledge, distraction). In Petty, Cacioppo and Goldman (1981), students told that a comprehensive exam would soon apply to them were swayed by argument quality, while those told it was far off were swayed by source expertise.

Advertising

High-involvement products such as cars suit central-route ads with evidence and comparisons; low-involvement products such as snacks suit peripheral-route ads built on models, music and mood. The model is also used in health campaigns and political communication.

References

Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 19, 123-205.
Petty, R. E., Cacioppo, J. T., & Goldman, R. (1981). Personal involvement as a determinant of argument-based persuasion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41(5), 847-855.
Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). Communication and Persuasion: Central and Peripheral Routes to Attitude Change. Springer.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '정교화 가능성 모델' on CampusDown →

Cognitive Dissonance TheoryFestinger's cognitive dissonance theory explained: definition, dissonance reduction, the $1/$20 experiment, effort justification, free choice, criticisms, and report examples.🧠 Psychology Maslow's Hierarchy of NeedsMaslow's hierarchy of needs explained: definition, the five levels, deficiency vs. growth needs, the pyramid myth, empirical criticisms and limitations, report examples for social work, nursing and business, and references.🧠 Psychology Erikson's Psychosocial Development TheoryErikson's eight psychosocial stages explained: crises and virtues from trust vs. mistrust to integrity vs. despair, identity, comparison with Freud, criticisms, and report examples.🧠 Psychology Freud's Psychoanalytic TheoryFreud's psychoanalytic theory explained: definition, the conscious, preconscious and unconscious, the id, ego and superego, psychosexual stages from oral to genital, defense mechanisms, criticisms such as falsifiability, report examples and references.🧠 Psychology

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)Brown v. Board of Education (1954) summary: the case, Chief Justice Warren's unanimous ruling, why 'separate but equal' fell, and what happened after.⚖️ Law Intestate SuccessionWho inherits when someone dies without a will: how U.S. intestacy statutes rank spouses, children and other relatives, how per stirpes works, and how Korea's Civil Act sets heirs, shares and representation.⚖️ Law The Rule of LawWhat is the rule of law? Its meaning and history from Magna Carta to United States v. Nixon, Dicey and Fuller's principles, and how it differs from rule by law.⚖️ Law Common Law vs. Civil LawCommon law vs. civil law: how the two legal families differ on sources of law, precedent, trials and judges, and where Korea's mixed system fits between them.⚖️ Law

This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.