Compliance Techniques Socio-Cultural LOA Compliance Techniques

Lesson objectives To learn the 6 factors that make people most likely to comply To discuss the 5 main compliance techniques To get tips on how to make someone do anything for you!

How Do I Answer This LO? First, define Compliance: It’s the result of direct pressure to respond to a request. A form of social influence involving direct requests from one person to another. Compliance techniques are tactics humans use to persuade others to comply with their appeals.

Advertising (the direct pressure may not always be apparent to the individual e.g. Advertising) Advertisers spend billions every year trying to get consumers to comply (by purchasing their products) Robert Cialdini outlined 6 factors that make people more likely to comply with a request

Six Compliance Factors Authority Commitment Liking Reciprocity Scarcity Social Proof

once we have committed to a small thing we are likely to continue. Authority People comply with those in positions of authority – advertisers often use famous people to promote their brands (Celebrity X says you SHOULD do this!) once we have committed to a small thing we are likely to continue. Commitment Liking we are more willing to say yes to someone we like

we are likely to return favours or feel indebted if given a gift. Reciprocity Scarcity objects that scarce are more wanted. For example – “last minute sales.” Social Proof more willing to say yes if we know that people around us are also saying yes. We tend to follow the group. (also known as ‘Consensus’)

advertising Watch each of the adverts, then decide which of the 6 compliance factors they make use of.

Pair Task Choose ONE of the compliance techniques You are responsible to: Come up with a definition (textbook definition AND in-your-own-words definition) Find ONE study that supports the technique Find TWO adverts (poster, slogan, TV, radio…) that match that technique

plenary How could we use these compliance techniques to increase participation in CAS activities round school?

The Rule of reciprocation Cialdini (1993): Argues that people are socialized into returning favours so powerful rule underpinning compliance Anthropologists Tiger & Fox (1971) argue that reciprocation (mutual indebtedness) is perhaps the result of evolution. Lynn & McCall (1988) found that restaurants who offered a mint or sweet with the bill received larger tips.

The Rule of reciprocation Regan (1971) Carried out a lab experiment to investigate if people who had received a free coke would return the favour when asked to buy raffle tickets from the same person compared to a control who had received no favour. Questionnaires were given to rate the “liking” of the confederate to investigate the effect of liking on doing a favour for a person. Participants who had received a favour in the experimental condition bought a significantly higher number of raffle tickets compared to participants in the control condition. “Liking” did not influence the number of raffle tickets bought in the experimental condition. Those who did not like the confederate bought as many tickets as those who said they liked the confederate; in the control condition they bought more tickets if they liked the confederate. Conclusion: the rule of reciprocity is very powerful – a strong sense of social obligation.

Cultural norms and reciprocity Ting-Toomey (1986) anthropologist Carried out field research; compared the forms of reciprocity in 3 individualist cultures (Australia, USA, France) with reciprocity in two collectivist (Japan and China). Results The rule of reciprocity appears to be universal – which supports an evolutionary explanation) but Reciprocity displayed differently: Individualist countries: voluntary reciprocity – free will in returning favour Collectivist countries: obligatory reciprocity the norm - moral failure if reciprocity is not honoured

Compliance and compliance techniques Cialdini et al. (2004): Compliance is the act of responding favourably to an implicit or explicit request by others Compliance techniques are the ways individuals use to make other individuals comply with their request or desires The success of compliance techniques is based on principles like reciprocity, commitment and self- consistency/self-perception.

Examples of compliance techniques Door-in-the-face technique: Make an extreme request and then a smaller request Foot-in-the-door technique: Make small request first and then a larger request to increase commitment.

Foot-in-the-door technique Freedman & Fraser (1966) First asked people to sign a petition for either safe-driving or ’making California beautiful’. Two weeks they were asked to place a large sign in front of their homes to support safe driving. Result: Those who agreed to the petition were more likely to comply to putting up the sign. Beaman et al. (1983) meta-analysis of foot-in-the-door research found less effect. Dickerson et al. (1992) field experiment. University students asked to sign poster to take shorter showers to conserve water in dormitory showers. Then ’shower time’ was measured for each student in the dorm. The ’signers’ showered 3.5 minutes shorter on average than students in the dorm who had not signed the poster first. Evaluation FITD Most powerful effect when self-image is related to the request. Much research in the area used pro-social requests – and such requests are more likely to be accepted. If the second request was in line with the first, people are more likely to comply. This may be based on one’s need for self-consistency. The technique has been applied successfully in charity and volunteer work as well as in public health campaigns.

Door-in-the-face technique DITF is when first a large request is asked and then, when it is rejected, a smaller request is made. People tend to comply to the second request because: They feel that have been accommodated so they have to say yes (the rule of reciprocity) They don’t like saying no and may fear being socially rejected → saying yes can sometimes be seen as a consequence of ’need to belong.’ Cialdini et al. (1975) Carried out a field experiment. The control group was asked to accompany juvenile delinquents on a one-day trip to the Zoo. 17% said yes; 83% said no. In the DITF group, the students were asked to volunteer to counsel juvenile delinquents for two hours a week for two years. All said no. When they same group was then asked the same question as the control group, 50% said yes.

Door-in-the-face does not always work!

Revising the Learning outcome Essay question: Discuss the use of compliance techniques Discuss: Offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range of factors, arguments or hypothesis. Opinions or conclusions should be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence For example: How and why compliance techniques are used in real life Under what conditions compliance techniques seem effective Psychological explanations of compliance? (For example, reciprocity and commitment) Include research (theories and studies) illustrating compliance techniques Check assessment criteria for paper 1 section B