Elaboration Likelihood Model

The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) of → persuasion, developed by Richard Petty, John Cacioppo, and their collaborators, is an example of a “dual‐process” approach to persuasion (another example is Chaiken's heuristic‐systematic model, HSM). The ELM suggests that important variations in the nature of persuasion are a function of the likelihood that receivers will engage in elaboration of (that is, thinking about) information relevant to the persuasive issue. Depending on the degree of elaboration, two different kinds of persuasion process can be engaged – one involving systematic thinking and the other involving cognitive shortcuts. Different factors influence persuasive outcomes depending on which process is activated.