Final answer:
Critics state that political campaigning often prioritizes appearances through the d)peripheral route to persuasion, which uses signals like celebrity endorsements, contrasting with the central route's reliance on logic and facts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Critics of political campaigning often claim that political campaigning focuses on appearances rather than issues. Social psychologists would say that today's political ads emphasize the peripheral route to persuasion. To further clarify, while the central route relies on logical argumentation and factual data to persuade an audience, the peripheral route uses indirect signals, such as celebrity endorsements or positive emotions, which are associated with the subject to persuade with less effort and analytical thinking from the audience.
In the context of political campaigns, this might manifest in the form of candidates employing visuals, slogans, and endorsements to evoke a favorable image or emotion rather than engaging in detailed policy discussions.
Therefore, the answer to the student's question is d. peripheral. This approach to persuasion does not require the audience to be as analytical or motivated to process information as the central route.