The FITD Technique: The Foot In The Door

Superior Essays
The topic that I am analyzing is known as the foot in the door (FITD) technique. The FITD technique is defined as getting someone to agree to a small favor in hopes that the participant feels helped and/or cared for; the moment the initial favor is fulfilled, the person follows up by asking for an even bigger request. Two researchers in 1966 named Freedman & Fraser discovered the FITD technique. From their research, they concluded that it is one of the most effective compliance techniques. Also, it is a huge manipulation tool for those who master and understand it.
In the first study, there were six experimental conditions based on random assignments. There were only male participants in this experiment due to women being reluctant to comply
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Under twenty percent of people who visited the page clicked on the link to donate. These results signify that with the “foot in the door” technique, it is possible to receive some support even when people are not in your face. The donation bar link sent people to another page that had no donation screen; it was simply a test to monitor support.

In the final study, 160 adults randomly selected from the telephone directory of a small town in Nevada and randomly assigned to four conditions: small-request-only, small-request/large-request, small-request/large-request with an excuse provided (SLRE), large-request-only (LRO).
Each telephone interviewer was given a list of names and telephone numbers. A block randomization technique was used to control for the order of condition and the time of initial contact. All subjects were initially approached on the weekend; the sex was noted for identifying him or her for the second request when appropriate. In the single-request conditions, the subjects were requested to wear either a button that read, “Don’t litter, keep clean and beautiful.” Or to post a large 3’ by 7’ sign that read the

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