Question

When receivers are distracted, they are less able to engage in issue-relevant thinking, and hence may be more susceptible to processing "peripheral" cues which may push them toward a particular choice option. True/False

Answer 1

The correct answer is "True".

In issue-relevant thinking there are 2 major routes that lead to persuasion.

• Under the central route, a person will be persuaded after careful consideration of the true merits of the information received.

• Under the peripheral route, a person will focus on the positive or negative aspects about the information received, regardless of the information's true characteristics.

If a person who is receiving information (receiver) becomes distracted, he will probably miss details relevant to the "central" route. This would lead him to make a conclusion based on what he considers to be positive or negative about the information he is receiving.

Example: A car's cost is information related to the "central" route because it cannot be related to being positive or negative. On the other hand, a car's color is related to the "peripheral" route because a person can have a preference for certain color that would lead him to consider the car's color as positive or negative.