In the context of social psychology and persuasion, which of the following is considered a peripheral cue that people often monitor when someone is trying to influence them?

• A. The accuracy of the presented statistics
• B. The logical structure of the argument
• C. The speaker's physical attractiveness
• D. The depth of message elaboration

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) in social psychology, which explains two routes to persuasion: the central route and the peripheral route.
2. Identify that the central route involves careful and thoughtful consideration of the true merits of the information presented, such as the accuracy of statistics, logical structure, and depth of message elaboration.
3. Recognize that the peripheral route involves superficial cues that do not require deep processing, such as the speaker's physical attractiveness, tone of voice, or other surface characteristics.
4. Analyze the options given and categorize them as either central cues (accuracy of statistics, logical structure, depth of elaboration) or peripheral cues (physical attractiveness).
5. Conclude that the peripheral cue in this context is the speaker's physical attractiveness, as it influences persuasion without engaging the audience in deep message processing.