4 Commitment and Consistency Flashcards
Ch3
Commitment and Consistency
Consistency principle: once we make a choice or take a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment
- directs human action
- central motivator of behavior
- high degree of consistency is normally associated with personal and intellectual strengths
Advantages:
- shortcut, allows for convenient, effortless and efficient method for dealing with the complexities of daily life
- preprogrammed and mindless method of responding, automatic consistency can supply a safe hiding place from troubling realizations
Ch3
Commitment
What produces the click that activates the whirr of the powerful consistency
tape?
commitment
-If I can get you to make a commitment, I will have set
the stage for your automatic and ill-considered consistency with that earlier commitment
Ch3
Foot-in-the-door
1996
DEF: tactic of starting with a little request in order to gain eventual compliance
with related larger requests
!be very careful about
agreeing to trivial requests, because that agreement can influence our self-concepts
-> agreement can not only increase our compliance
with very similar, much larger requests, it can also make us more willing to
perform a variety of larger favors that are only remotely connected to the little one
we did earlier
Ch3
Commitment and Self-image
-you can use small commitments to manipulate a person´s self-image
-once you’ve got a person’s self-image where you
want it, that person should comply naturally with a whole range of requests that are consistent with this new self-view
-Not all commitments affect self-image -> certain conditions should be present for a commitment to be effective in this way: they should be active, public, effortful, and freely chosen
Ch3
Behavior and Commitment
-people themselves use this same evidence—their own behavior—to decide what they are like; it is a primary source of information about one’s own beliefs, values, and attitudes
-impact of behavior on one’s self-concept and future behavior can be seen in research investigating the effect of active versus passive commitments
-active commitments give us the kind of information
we use to shape self-image, which then shapes future actions, which solidify the
new self-image
-People have a natural tendency to think that a statement reflects the true attitude of the person who made it
-Unless there is strong evidence to the contrary, observers automatically assume that someone who makes such a statement means it
-once an active commitment is made, then, self-image is squeezed from both
sides by consistency pressures
-> From the inside, there is pressure to bring self-image
into line with action
->From the outside, there is a sneakier pressure—a ten
tendency to adjust this image according to the way others perceive us
Ch3
Commitment in the public eye
-Public commitments tend to be lasting commitments
-Whenever one takes a stand that is visible to others, there arises a drive to maintain that stand in order to look like a consistent person
-This sort of stubbornness can occur even in situations in which accuracy should
be more important than consistency
Ch3
The Extra Effort
-the more effort that goes into a commitment, the greater Is its ability to influence the attitudes of the person who made it
-hazing practices have been phenomenally resilient:
-> They function, oddly enough, to spur future society
members to find the group more attractive and worthwhile.
-> The loyalty and dedication
of those who emerge will increase to a great degree the chances of group
cohesiveness and survival
-> for groups concerned about fostering a lasting sense of solidarity and distinction, the hardship of demanding initiation
activities will not be easily undermined.
Ch3
Inner voice
-it appears that the commitments most effective in changing a person’s self-image and future behavior are those that are active, public, and effortful
!we accept inner responsibility for a behavior
when we think we have chosen to perform it in the absence of strong outside pressure
-> A large reward is one such external pressure - It may get us to perform certain actions, but it won’t get us to accept inner responsibility for the acts
-> The same is true of a strong threat; it may motivate
immediate compliance, but it is unlikely to produce long-term commitment
Ch3
Growing Legs
-compliance professionals love commitments that produce inner change
1. change is not just specific to the situation where it first occurred; it covers a whole range of related situations,
too
2. the effects of the change are lasting
- What is important about this process of generating additional reasons to justify the commitment is that the reasons are new
- even if the original reason for the civic-minded behavior were taken away, these newly discovered reasons alone might be enough to support their perceptions that they had behaved correctly
Ch3
Low-Balling
No matter which variety of low-balling is used, the sequence is the same:
An advantage is offered that induces a favorable purchase decision. Then, sometime
after the decision has been made, but before the bargain is sealed, the original purchase advantage is deftly removed
-ability of this tactic to make a person feel pleased with a poor choice
Ch3
Defense
Defense:
awareness that, although consistency is generally good, even vital, there is a foolish, rigid variety to
be shunned
-to know when such consistency is likely to lead to a poor choice
- Stomach Signs (realize we are trapped into complying with a request we know we don’t want to perform)
- Heart Signals (are the reasons genuine or mere justifications)
Ch3
Special Vulnerabilities
- Age
- Individualism
=> members of individualistic societies—particularly older members—need to be alert to influence tactics that begin by requesting just a small
step
Ch3
Summary
-tendency for consistency is fed from three sources
1. good personal consistency is highly valued by society
2. aside from its effect on public image, generally
consistent conduct provides a beneficial approach to daily life
3. a consistent orientation affords a valuable shortcut through the complexity of
modern existence
-merely needs to recall the earlier decision and to respond consistently
with it
-Within the realm of compliance, securing an initial commitment is the key.
After making a commitment, people are more willing to agree to requests that are in keeping with the prior commitment
-Commitment decisions, even erroneous ones, have a tendency to be self-perpetuating
-people often add
new reasons and justifications to support the wisdom of commitments they
have already made
-To recognize and resist the undue influence of consistency pressures on our compliance decisions, we should listen for signals coming from two places
within us: our stomachs and our heart of hearts
Ch3
Questions
- Why do we want to look and be consistent in most situations?
- Why do we find even rigid, stubborn consistency desirable in many situations?
- Which four factors cause a commitment to affect a person’s self-image and consequent
future action? - What makes written commitments so effective?
- What is the relationship between the compliance tactic of low-balling and the term
“growing its own legs”?
Vid 1
Commitment and consistency overview
- Cognitive dissonance
- Self-perception
- Social norm
- Self-persuasion
Vid 1
Self-persuasion
- more confident about our chances of winning AFTER placing a bet than immediately before the bet
- convince our self, we have made the right choice and feel better about the choice (self-persuasion)
- > more satisfied with product
- > minimize regret
Vid 1
Cognitive dissonance
- Discrepancy bt beliefs and behavior cuases psychological tension
- motivated to reduce the discrepancy
- changing beliefs or behavior
- After a (beh) choice has been made, we fool ourselves tp keep our beliefs consistent with what we have already done/decided (rationalize decision)
Vid 1
Theory of self-concept maintenance
- a gain at the expense of honest self-concept
- try to avoid negative update of self-concept
- What influences whether we update?
- > Negative update: categotizing. act as less dishonest, attention to (own) moral standards
Vid 1
Self-perception theory
(Bem)
-attitudes, emotions and internal states are inferred from observations of own behavior (no dissonance relieve)
Advantages:
- convenient, effortless, efficient
- safe hiding place for troubling realizations
- easier to change behavior
Vid 1
Cognitive Dissonance or Self-perception
- If people are certain about their behavior and underlying attitudes: cognitive dissonance
- If people have less experience with the behavior and no firm attitudes have been developed: self-perception
Vid 2
Consistency is highly valued
- inconsistent persons seen as confused, 2-faced, mentally ill
- consistency associated with personal and intellectual strength
- consistency = logical, rational. stable, honest
- once we make a choice or take a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment (norms!)
Vid 2
Commitment
- written or verbal pledge or promise to engage in specific actions
- people feel obligated to keep their promise (prevent feeling guilty, feel proud of yourself, bring self-image in line iwth action)
- think of new reasons to support decision
Vid 2
Commitment is more effective if…
- Active
- Public
- Effortful
- Irreversible
- Freely chosen (Accept inner responsibility, no external attribution)
- changes in self-image
Art
Foot-in-the-door
DEF perform small request, later larger “target” request
-Several psychological processes that may be set in motion with a FITD manipulation are: self-perception, psychological reactance, conformity, consistency, attributions, commitment
Art
Performance of initial request
allowing participants to perform the initial request increases noticeably the likelihood that they will agree to the target request
Art
Size of the initial request
self-perception process plays a role in the effectiveness of the FITD procedure
Art
Similarity of requests
- self-perception process is operating in the typical FITD manipulation
- participants are more likely to comply with the target request when agreeing to the initial request requires additional involvement and is therefore more salient
Art
Conformity to the norm
FITD participants rely on norm info when deciding whether to agree with the target request
Art
Consistency needs
consistency needs play a ole in participant´s reactions to the FITD procedure
Art
Labeling
labels attributing the behavior to external causes would lead to decrease in compliance
Art
Extrinsic rewards
enhance their TITD manipulations by either facilitating or reducing certain participant attributions
Art
Commitment
result of commitment -> increased likelihood that the participant will agree to the target request
