Polarizing Organizations and Image Repair: The Effects of Extreme Disposition and Ego-Involvement on ELM Processing Routes for Organizational Responses

Abstract

This study examined elaboration likelihood model (ELM) processing routes used by audiences to evaluate image repair messages for two organizations that often provoke polarizing dispositions in audiences: the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the New England Patriots football team. Involvement is a key concept in the ELM paradigm, yet studies have overlooked issues on the extreme ends of the dispositional spectrum, especially where ego-involvement motivates individuals. In order to test this largely unexplored idea, participants in the study were presented with post-incident message responses for the Columbine and Sandy Hook school shootings and the Spygate and Deflategate cheating scandals. Results indicated that the relationship between disposition and peripheral processing was curvilinear, with an increased use of peripheral processing at dispositional extremes. Ego-involvement fully mediated this relationship for most messages. Study items measuring reaction to the message source also showed statistical similarities to central processing variables. Although message source is often treated as a peripheral cue in ELM studies, the results of this analysis suggested that the message source was not used as a peripheral cue here. These findings are consistent with several other past studies on dual process models that align message source more closely with a likelihood to elaborate.

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