The Foot in the Door Technique

Social scientists first became aware of its effectiveness in the mid 19 sixties, when psychologists jonathan freedman and scott fraser published an astonishing set of data. The tactif of starting with a little request in order to gain eventual compliance with related larger requests has a name, the foot in the door technique. A researcher posing as a volunteer worker, had gone door to door in a residential california neighborhood making a preposterous request of home owners. Although the request was normally and understandably refused by the great majority, 83 % of the other residents in the area, this particular group of people reacted quite favorably.