Describe and explain the cognitive processes underlying persuasion.

Answer:
Answers should include the following points:
- There are two possibilities for cognitive processes involved with persuasion.
- Systematic processing (central route to persuasion) involves effortful and systematic processing of message content. This is explained by the elaboration-likelihood model of persuasion.
- motivation must be high
- capacity to process information must be high
- knowledge of the topic must be high
- time for processing the persuasive message must be available
- the issue or topic must be important or interesting to us
Heuristic processing (peripheral route to persuasion) involves automatic (relatively effortless) processing of message content.
- lack of ability or capacity for processing information
- limited time
- limited knowledge
- low motivation
- the issue or topic is relatively unimportant or uninteresting to us