Foot-in-the-door technique

Foot-in-the-door technique (FITD) is a compliance tactic that involves getting a person to agree to a large request by first setting them up by having that person agree to a modest request. [Freedman, J.L. & Fraser, S.C. (1966). Compliance without pressure: The foot-in-the-door technique. "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology," 4, 195-202.] [Burger, J. M. (1999). The foot-in-the-door compliance procedure: A multiple-process analysis and review. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 303-325] [Dillard, J. (1990). Self-inference and the foot-in-the-door technique: Quantity of behavior and attitudinal mediation. Human Communication Research, 16, 422-447]

Classic FITD experiments

In an early study, a team of psychologists telephoned housewives in California and asked if the women would answer a few questions about the household products they used. Three days later, the psychologists called again. This time, they asked if they could send five or six men into the house to go through cupboards and storage places as part of a 2-hr enumeration of household products. The investigators found these women were more than twice as likely to agree to the 2-hr request than a group of housewives asked only the larger request. [Freedman, J.L. & Fraser, S.C. (1966). Compliance without pressure: The foot-in-the-door technique. "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology," 4, 195-202.] More recently, persons were asked to call for a taxi if they became alcohol impaired. Half of the persons had also been asked to sign a petition against drunk driving (which they all did) and half had not. Those who had signed the petition (complied with a small request) were significantly more likely to comply with the larger request of calling a taxi when impaired compared to those who had not been asked to sign the petition. [Taylor, T., & Booth-Butterfield, S. (1993). [http://www.as.wvu.edu/~sbb/comm221/publics/taylor.htm Getting a foot in the door with drinking and driving: A field study of healthy influence] . Communication Research Reports, 10, 95-101.]

Numerous experiments have shown that foot-in-the-door tactics work well in persuading people to comply, especially if the request is a pro-social request. [Beaman, A. L., Cole, C. M., Klentz, B., & Steblay, N. M. (1983). Fifteen years of the foot-in-the-door Research: A meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 9,181-196] [Dillard, J.P. (1991). [http://psp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/3/283 The Current Status of Research on Sequential-Request Compliance Techniques,] "Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 3, 283-288.] [Dolin, D.J., & Booth-Butterfield, S. (1995). [http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a785835519~db=all Foot-in-the-Door and Cancer Prevention,] "Health Communication," Volume 7, Issue 1, pages 55-66.] Research has shown that FITD techniques work over the computer via email, in addition to face-to-face requests. [Guéguen, N. (2002). [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VDC-44D3WCF-2&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=a3c806704b0760d0f3a7fbe33f7e1e28 Foot-in-the-door technique and computer-mediated communication,] "Computers in Human Behavior," Volume 18, Issue 1, Pages 11-15]

Examples

"Can I go over to Suzy's house for an hour?" is followed shortly by "Can I stay the night?"
"Can I borrow the car to go to the store?" may be followed by "Can I borrow the car for the weekend?"
"Would you sign this petition for our cause?" is followed by "Would you donate to our cause?"
"May I turn in the paper a few hours late?" may be followed by "May I turn it in next week?"

ee also

*Compliance (Psychology)
*Obedience
*Door-in-the-face technique
*Bait and switch
*Camel's nose

References

External links

* [http://www.as.wvu.edu/~sbb/comm221/chapters/twostep.htm Article on 'foot-in-the-door' and 'door-in-the-face' techniques]