Social Psychology 465that salespersons would commonly use. A common example of these techniques will also
occur to anyone who has ever bought a car, as the video Compliance Techniques explains.
CCWatch the Video Compliance TechniquesFOOT-IN-THE-DOOR TECHNIQUE A neighbor asks you to keep an eye on his house
while he is on vacation. It’s a small request, so you agree. Later that day the neigh-
bor asks if you would kindly water his plants while he’s gone. This is a little bit more
involved and requires more of your time and energy—will you do it? If you are like
most people, you probably will comply with this second, larger request.
When compliance with a smaller request is followed by a larger request, people
are quite likely to comply because they have already agreed to the smaller one and they
want to behave consistently with their previous response (Cialdini et al., 1995; Dillard,
1990, 1991; Freedman & Fraser, 1966; Meineri & Guéguen, 2008). This is called the
foot-in-the-door technique because the first small request acts as an opener. (Door-to-
door salespeople once literally stuck a foot in the door to prevent the occupant from shut-
ting it so they could continue their sales pitch; hence the name.)
DOOR-IN-THE-FACE TECHNIQUE Closely related to the foot-in-the-door technique is its
opposite: the door-in-the-face technique (Cialdini et al., 1975). In this method, the larger
request comes first, which is usually refused. This is followed by a second smaller and more
reasonable request that often gets compliance. An example of this would be if the neighbor
first asked you to take care of his dog and cat in your home. After you refused to do so, the
neighbor might ask if you would at least water his plants, which you would now be more
likely to do. This technique may not be as effective with people who are abstract thinkers,
however. You may remember the discussion concerning abstract versus concrete thinking
in an earlier chapter. to Learning Objective 8.7. While a concrete thinker would
look at an American flag and see the material and the red and white stripes, for example, an
abstract thinker might look at the same flag and think about the concept of freedom. In one
study, the door-in-the-face technique proved to be as effective as making a direct request
for concrete thinkers, but abstract thinkers were less likely to comply with that technique
(Henderson & Burgoon, 2013). This may be due to the tendency of abstract thinkers to have
a more global perception of themselves when turning down the larger request as somewhat
selfish, which then makes them more likely to also turn down the smaller request.
LOWBALL TECHNIQUE Another compliance technique, also common in the world of sales, is
called the lowball technique (Bator & Cialdini, 2006; Burger & Petty, 1981; Weyant, 1996). In
foot-in-the-door technique
asking for a small commitment and,
after gaining compliance, asking for a
Digger commitment.door-in-the-face technique
asking for a large commitment and
being refused and then asking for a
smaller commitment.lowball technique
getting a commitment from a person
and then raising the cost of that
commitment.