Theories and Theorists
Different theorists in their quest to explain various aspects concerning life have formulated various theories. A theory is an abstract statement considered scientific knowledge in casual, axiomatic or set of laws forms. It is about those things that people feel certain about and it tells people how things work. The two theories that this paper delineates include, agenda setting theory and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM).
John Caccioppo and Richard Petty developed Elaboration Likelihood Model in 1980. The theory maintains that information processing during persuasion is divided into two processes that are based on the likelihood of cognitive elaborations, where people think critically about message content or simply respond to the superficial aspects of the message (Jae & Delvicchio, 2004). The source of the theory is based on the premise of how people change and form their attitudes. Human beings process information or message that comes their way differently depending with the way the argument is positioned and structured. The tenets of the theory are categorized into two processing routes, which are the central route also high elaboration and peripheral route also known as low elaboration. The central route of processing requires that the listener think critically and it involves scrutiny of persuasive communication such as advertisements and speech to find out whether the argument is worth or not (Jae & Delvicchio, 2004). This process is determined by the cognitive part of an individual. If the message evaluated is convincing and well structured it may be received favorably despite the fact that it may be in contrary with the original position of the receiver. Therefore, if the message is favorable it will be accepted and vice versa. However, for an individual to process a message centrally, that individual must have the motivation and ability to do so.
Peripheral route on the other hand do not involve elaboration of the message through cognitive process but rather an individual relies on the environmental characteristics such as the message presentation quality, the perceived quality of the source, the attractiveness of the sources and slogans among others (Griffin, 2012). There is no reliance on evidence and a message is rejected or accepted based on the external cues as opposed to thought. The immaturity of the audience and the complexity of the message cause an individual to use this route in making of choices. The most common influences that help people to change their minds and actions include rewards such as money, sex and food. Others include humor, celebrity status, and expertise among many others. Therefore, peripheral routes aims at creating a temporary change compared to central route that endeavors to leave a lasting impression or change. Therefore, under this model, persuasion is increased or decreased depending on the arguments strength. If the argument is strong, persuasion is enhanced when elaboration is enhanced but when the argument is weak, then persuasion is undermined.
The second theory is the agenda setting theory. Dr. Donald S haw and Dr. Max McCombs advanced this theory in 1968 (Davie & Maher, 2006). The theory was conceived after they compared salience issues in news and how the issues shaped public perceptions on how they made election decisions. This theory therefore focuses on how media influences the way people think, opinions and attitude about certain aspects aired through them. The premise of the theory that media plays a key role in setting the agenda or the things that people discuss and things that are considered as relevant. The two tenets of agenda setting theory are that media and press do not reflect reality but rather filter and shape it. Media may not necessarily reflect the real things but because of their powers and influence, they have the capability to filter the message and even shape the information the way they deem correct (McCombs, 2005). Because many people consume the message, they will believe in the media messages even if it is not reflecting reality. Second tenet is that because of the concentration on few issues and subjects it makes the public to perceive such issues more important compared to other issues. Therefore, it means that people are highly attracted and believe in those media news that are aired frequently hence, it has a powerful impact on the way people think and perceive reality.
These two theories have some similarities in the sense that they all endeavor to explain how people consume the messages they are send. The messages that are conveyed to individuals through the media are more persuasive and people believe if they are given large amount of airtime. Media shapes the agenda and creates the reality about the world through its messages that it transmits to the people. Because of the trust and the powerful nature of the media, people believe in these messages and in most cases, determine the choices they make. Similarly, in the elaboration likelihood model, people process information conveyed to them in different ways. Information is processes through central route and such information is critically thought while other people will be persuaded by the external cues of the messages such as humor instead of in-depth thought. Therefore, these two theories are essential in understanding how the cognitive part of people process information that they receive from various sources. Understanding, these mechanisms is essential in ensuring that individuals approach to messages with a lot of cautions and care.
These two theories are important in our daily lives and in my discipline too. The two theories are essential in understanding how people process information and how they change and form attitudes and opinions about various aspects in their lives. People have different level of cognitive and they perceive things or events differently. Therefore, these theories can be valuable in helping to understand how people process different messages. This then allows an individual to structure messages appropriately to be able to enhance understanding. Agenda setting theory is very essential, when one wants to influence people in a given direction. Through mass media, an individual is able to influence consumers in a given way or to buy certain ideologies. In my discipline, agenda setting is essential in persuading and influencing people to buy to my ideas and opinions. These two theories therefore suit the research that I am intending to conduct. My research is related to psychology and these two theories provides insights on how people minds or cognitive functions when it comes to how they process information and make decisions about various aspects happening in the society.
In conclusion, theories are essential in helping people understand reality and how things happen. These two theories help in understanding how the attitude change and form through the way people process different information from various sources. Elaboration likelihood model provides two events central and peripheral routes that enhance our understanding of how information is processed to persuade people. On the other hand, agenda-setting theory helps us to appreciate the power of media in influencing how we perceive things that goes around us. Media plays a role in influencing that which we think and perceive to be right or wrong.
References
Davie W., & Maher T. (2006). Maxwell McCombs: Agenda-Setting Explorer, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 50(2): 358–364.
Griffin, E. (2012). A First Look at Communication Theory, 8th ed. McGraw-Hill: New York, 366-377.
Jae, H., & Delvicchio, D. (2004). Decision making by elaboration likelihood model- analysis journal and model, The journal of consumer affairs, 38(2), 342-354
McCombs, M. (2005). A look at agenda setting: Past, present and future, Journalism Studies 6 (4): 1-23.
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