Richard E. Petty

Definition

Richard E. Petty is a prominent social psychologist known for his work in the field of persuasion and attitude change. He is best recognized for developing the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), which explains how people process persuasive messages through two main routes: the central route and the peripheral route, depending on their motivation and ability to think about the message.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Petty's work emphasizes that people's motivation and ability to process information significantly affect how they respond to persuasive messages.
2. The Elaboration Likelihood Model was introduced by Petty and his colleague John Cacioppo in 1986, providing a framework for understanding different types of persuasion.
3. In the central route of ELM, when individuals are motivated and able to engage, they are more likely to critically evaluate the content of a message, leading to stronger and longer-lasting attitude changes.
4. Conversely, when using the peripheral route, people may rely on heuristics or mental shortcuts to make quick judgments without deep analysis, resulting in more temporary attitude changes.
5. Richard E. Petty's research has had significant implications across various fields, including marketing, health communication, and political messaging, helping to shape strategies for effective persuasion.

Review Questions

• How does Richard E. Petty's Elaboration Likelihood Model differentiate between the central and peripheral routes of persuasion?
  • Richard E. Petty's Elaboration Likelihood Model outlines two distinct routes for processing persuasive messages: the central route and the peripheral route. The central route involves careful consideration of message content, where individuals actively engage with arguments and information. In contrast, the peripheral route relies on superficial cues, like speaker attractiveness or emotional appeals, without critical engagement with the message itself.
• Evaluate the significance of motivation and ability in determining whether an individual will use the central or peripheral route in processing persuasive messages according to Petty's research.
  • Motivation and ability play crucial roles in determining how an individual processes persuasive messages. When someone is highly motivated and has the ability to think critically about a message, they are more likely to take the central route, leading to deeper cognitive engagement and potentially lasting attitude change. Conversely, if motivation or ability is low, individuals may resort to the peripheral route, which results in less enduring attitudes influenced by external cues rather than substantive arguments.
• Synthesize Richard E. Petty's findings on persuasion with real-world applications in marketing strategies that utilize both central and peripheral routes.
  • Richard E. Petty's findings on persuasion provide valuable insights for marketers aiming to influence consumer attitudes effectively. In real-world applications, marketers can design campaigns that appeal to consumers' motivations for both central and peripheral processing. For example, they might create detailed content that informs consumers about product benefits (central route) while also using attractive visuals or celebrity endorsements (peripheral route) to capture attention. By strategically employing both routes based on target audience characteristics, marketers can optimize persuasion efforts and enhance overall effectiveness.

Related terms

Elaboration Likelihood Model: A theory that describes the two ways in which persuasive messages can lead to attitude change: the central route, where individuals actively engage with the content, and the peripheral route, where superficial cues influence attitudes.

Central Route: One of the pathways in the Elaboration Likelihood Model that involves thoughtful consideration of the arguments presented in a persuasive message, leading to more durable attitude change.

Peripheral Route: The alternative pathway in the Elaboration Likelihood Model where individuals are influenced by superficial cues, such as the attractiveness of the speaker or emotional appeals, rather than the quality of the arguments.