In the late 1970s, Richard Petty and John Cacioppo studied how motivation affects persuasion. Their work resulted in their “elaboration likelihood model” (ELM).1 We use the ELM in all sorts of decision making, from choosing a spouse to tapping a buy button.
Petty and Cacioppo proposed two primary routes to persuasion: a central and a peripheral route. When we are motivated to understand a subject, we are more likely to think about it and to elaborate on it. Petty and Cacioppo called this the central route. For example, say you are serving as a member of a jury, deciding the ...
