A dual-process model to assess user attitudes and the likelihood of electronic word-of-mouth adoption

The likelihood of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) adoption is useful for academics and practitioners to understand the persuasion. To address this issue, the attitude-intention link was often assumed in information systems (IS) literature without further examinations in the persuasion contexts. This study develops a theoretical model, grounded in the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), to assess how recipients use central and peripheral routes to elaborate e-WOM. This study tests the theoretical model by surveying 395 users with viewing or posting experience in an online discussion forum. The empirical results of this study verify that the central variable (argument quality) directly and indirectly drives the likelihood of e-WOM adoption via cognitive and affective attitudes, whereas the peripheral cue (source credibility) directly and indirectly drives the likelihood of e-WOM adoption via cognitive attitudes only. However, affective attitudes rather than cognitive attitudes significantly determine the likelihood of e-WOM adoption, implying the attitude-intention link is valid in the central route to persuasion. Additionally, the use of central and peripheral routes to form attitudes is influenced by perceived control in online searching. This study also contributes to verify that argument quality acts as the diagnostic input, whereas source credibility acts as the accessible input in the elaboration of e-WOM.