Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

M O D U L E 5 2 
Attitudes and Social Cognition 
attitudes 
Evaluations of a particular 
person, behavior, belief, or concept.
Do celebrities such as Patriot quarterback 
Tom Brady infl uence attitudes? Advertisers 
certainly believe this is true, investing 
millions of dollars in endorsement fees.
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580 Chapter 
17 
Social Psychology
ROUTES TO PERSUASION 
Recipients’ receptiveness to persuasive messages relates to the type of information-
processing they use. Social psychologists have discovered two primary information-
processing routes to persuasion: central route and peripheral route processing.  Central 
route processing 
occurs when the recipient thoughtfully considers the issues and 
arguments involved in persuasion. In central route processing, people are swayed in 
their judgments by the logic, merit, and strength of arguments.
In contrast,  peripheral route processing  occurs when people are persuaded on 
the basis of factors unrelated to the nature or quality of the content of a persuasive 
message. Instead, factors that are irrelevant or extraneous to the issue, such as who 
is providing the message, how long the arguments are, or the emotional appeal of 
the arguments, infl uence them (Petty et al., 2005; Wegener et al., 2004; Warden, Wu, 
& Tsai, 2006).
In general, people who are highly involved and motivated use central route 
processing to comprehend a message. However, if a person is uninvolved, unmoti-
central route processing 
Message 
interpretation characterized by 
thoughtful consideration of the issues 
and arguments used to persuade.