Elaboration Likelihood Model
Persuasion splits into two routes: deep thinking about the argument, or quick reliance on surface cues.
Storyboard
Each row maps to one animated Remotion scene.What it is
The Elaboration Likelihood Model is a dual-process account of persuasion. It proposes that attitude change can happen through either careful, effortful evaluation of a message or through low-effort reliance on cues, and that the path taken depends on a person's motivation and ability to think about the content in front of them.
The core idea
Persuasion is not one process but two. A central route engages when people are both willing and able to scrutinize an argument, while a peripheral route takes over when attention is low and surface cues stand in for reasoning. Attitudes formed centrally tend to be stronger and more durable.
How it is used
Researchers and campaign designers use the model to decide whether to invest in strong evidence or in attractive cues for a given audience. It guides message testing, audience segmentation, and the framing of health and advertising appeals depending on how engaged the target audience is likely to be.
In practice
A vaccination campaign aimed at hesitant but engaged parents leads with clear evidence and addresses counterarguments (central route), while a fast social feed reminder leans on a trusted clinician's face and a simple call to action (peripheral route).
Primary references
- Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). Communication and Persuasion: Central and Peripheral Routes to Attitude Change. Springer-Verlag.
Source
Adapted by AURA Lab from University of Twente, Communication Theories (2026).