On the Interplay between Heuristic and Systematic Processes in Persuasion

Dual-process models of persuasion (e.g., Heuristic Systematic Model) contrast the use of heuristics with systematic information processing. However, a great deal of attention is increasingly being devoted to the interplay between the two types of processing. We propose a multistage view that builds on dual-process models of persuasion but emphasizes the interplay between processing modes. According to this multistage view, there are contexts in which receivers first use systematic processes to derive information about expertise from argument quality and, subsequently, make use of the expertise heuristic to arrive at an attitude. We show that results of a classic study (Petty, Cacioppo, & Goldman, 1981) are compatible with this view. Additionally, we report results of a study, in which the effect of argument quality on receivers’ attitudes was partially mediated by perceived source expertise (Reimer, 2003). Two follow-up studies revealed that this mediation tended to be stronger among receivers reporting low self-expertise than among receivers reporting high selfexpertise.