Compliance Techniques

Context for human relationships: Sociocultural content

Define the term compliance

• A form of social influence where an individual behaves in response to a request, even if they may not peronally agree with the request.

• Does not involve authority or coercion.

Define the term compliance techniques

• Psychological strategies used to increase the likelihood that someone will accept a request.

• Exploit social norms, congitive biases or emotional triggers to influence behaviour.

What are the two compliance techniques?

1. Foot-in-the-Door Technique (FITD)

2. Reciprocity Norm Technique

Define the Foot-in-the-Door Technique

• Making a small initial request that is likely to be accepted, followed by a larger, more demanding request.

Why does the Foot-in-the-Door Technique work?

Agreeing to the small request increases the likelihood of compliance with the second, larger request due to the desire for consistency.

How can the Foot-in-the-Door Technique be used in the long term?

• Gradually shift behaviours.

• Building up to more regular or demanding responsibilities.

Outline a study investigating the Foot-in-the-Door technique

Name	Freedman and Fraser (1966)
Aim	To test the efficiency of the Foot-in-the-Door Technique.
Procedure	Participants were asked to sign a small petition supporting safe driving. Later, thet were requested to display a large “Drive Safely” sign in their from yards.
Result	Participants who agreed to the small request were significantly more likely to comply with the following, larger one.
Conclusion	Foot-in-the-Door Technique exploits congnitive bias to influence behaviour. Initial fullfilment of request creates a sense of commitment and consistency, making individuals more likely to comply with the requests that follow.