Chapter 1 - Universiteit Twente

General Introduction
function as a decisional heuristic, increasing the odds of compliance with the more
substantial target request, like donating money to the charity in question. Another
social influence technique that taps into the principles of commitment and consistency
is the low-ball procedure (Cialdini et al., 1978; Burger & Petty, 1981). The essence of
this procedure is that one is presented with an initial request (e.g., “May I invite you to
give a guest lecture at my university?”), and after one has complied and has committed
oneself to the deal, the cost of compliance is raised (“The lecture is scheduled for the first
period, so you’ll have to show up at 8.00 a.m.”). The act of initial compliance is supposed
to create a commitment and activates the principle of consistency, which in turn fosters
compliance with the intended target request.
The most widely accepted psychological explanation for the door-in-the-face
technique is that it hinges on the norm of reciprocity, i.e. the felt obligation to return
favors (Gouldner, 1960). Specifically, Cialdini et al. (1975) explained this rejection-thenmoderation
procedure in terms of reciprocal concessions: the influence agent makes
a clear concession by downsizing the initial request (after your refusal to buy a dozen
raffle tickets the girl scouts propose that you buy a single ticket instead), which evokes
the need for the target of influence to make a concession in return and therefore to
comply with the milder request (you buy that single ticket).
Other strong decisional rules or heuristics that people resort to in situations of
influence are liking (people generally agree with people they like), social proof (since
others do it, it will probably be the correct thing to do), authority (people generally
agree with people that are - affiliated with - a highly credible source), or scarcity
(the availability of an offer is limited, and therefore appears to be more valuable; cf.
Cialdini’s principles of influence, 1993).
In sum, this variety of procedures aimed at eliciting some kind of acquiescence seem
to have in common that they induce people to act according to some automatic, fixed
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