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A test of the Elaboration Likelihood model for therapy

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Abstract

This study tested the validity of Petty and Cacioppo's [(1981), Attitudes and Persuasion: Classic and Contemporary Approaches,Dubuque, Brown] Elaboration Likelihood Mode of persuasion in a therapy analogue setting. The effects of source credibility, message quality, and issue involvement on social influence were investigated in a 2 ×2 ×2 factorial design. In contrast to previous social psychology theorizing, results indicated that subjects were primarily influenced by high-quality messages, suggestive of central route processing. Implications for client-counselor interactions in relation to Strong's interpersonal influence model were discussed.

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This article is based on a doctoral dissertation submitted by the first author to Texas Tech University under the direction of the second author. The authors would like to thank John H. Harvey, James Maddux, and Richard McGlynn for their assistance with this study.

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McNeill, B.W., Stoltenberg, C.D. A test of the Elaboration Likelihood model for therapy. Cogn Ther Res 12, 69–79 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01172781

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