Commitment and Consistency

Question 1

Goal of Maintaining a

Positive Self-Concept

Answer 1

• People have a strong need to enhance their self-concepts by behaving consistently with their actions, statements, commitments, beliefs, and self-ascribed traits
• Forms the basis of much compliance research

Question 2

Sources of Consistency Pressure for Maintaining a

Positive Self-Concept

Answer 2

• Personal consistency valued by society
• Beneficial approach to life
• It is easier to be consistent (mental shortcut)

Question 3

Foot-in-the-door technique (FITD)

Answer 3

• Before making the target request, begin by getting compliance with a very small request.

Question 4

Freedman and Fraser (1966) “housewives” study

Answer 4

Two conditions:
• Foot-in-the-door condition : one group was first asked a small request: Would you be willing to put this small sign in favour of safe driving in your window? “Be a safe driver” 2 weeks later, an experimenter returned to the homes with a large request: Would you put this sign on your lawn? “drive carefully”
• Control condition: a second group was only approached with the large request

Results
• Control condition: 17%
• FITD condition: 76%

Question 5

How does the FITD work?

Answer 5

• Self-perception theory
- people infer their attitudes by observing their own behavior
• Compliance with the initial request produces a change in how people see themselves
- see themselves as people who are in favour of safe driving (specific)
- see themselves as helpful people (broad)
• Self-perception is at least partly, but not totally responsible for the FITD effect
• Participants must also have the motivation to be consistent
• The exact nature of self-inferences is not known
- General dispositions? Actions? Attitudes toward relevant issues?
- Other factors probably play a role

Question 6

Evidence for self-perception theory as the process behind the FITD technique.

Answer 6

• If people are paid for the first act of compliance, it doesn’t work
• If people are not motivated to be consistent with their self-images, it doesn’t work
- e.g., Preference for Consistency scale

Question 7

Evidence against self-perception as the possess behind the FITD technique

Answer 7

Researchers never directly measured whether self perceptions changed

Question 8

Goarassini & Olson (1995)

FITD Study

Answer 8

• Used private compliance as a dependent variable
• Measured self-perceptions of helpfulness
• FITD did produce change in self-perception, but this self-perception did not predict compliance

Question 9

Burger & Caldwell (2003)

“self-rated helpfulness” Study

Answer 9

Found that self-rated helpfulness did mediate the relationship

Question 10

Low-ball technique

Answer 10

gain compliance with request, later reveal hidden costs

• e.g., car salesperson, Credit card companies

Question 11

7 am Study

Low-ball experiment

Answer 11

• Cialdini et al. (1978)
• Introductory psychology students were contacted and asked to take part in a study “on thinking processes”
• After they agreed, participants were told the study started at 7:00 a.m.
• Another group of participants was told up-front about 7:00 a.m.

Question 12

Conserving Energy

Low-ball experiment

Answer 12

control condition
• People who used natural gas for their homes where interviewed and given some tips to conserve energy. They all agreed to try.
• There was no differences in saving at the end of the winter
Experimental condition
• Same as control but with the addition of having their names publicised for their commitment.
• They saved lots of gas
• Then they got a letter saying that it is not possible to put their name in the paper
• The home owners continued to conserve energy anyway

Question 13

Why does the Low-ball tactic work?

Answer 13

Commitment and consistency
• illusion of irrevocability
• sense of obligation toward the requester

Question 14

Low-ball technique

Commitment to task or commitment to the person?

Answer 14

• Low-balling works better when the it is the same person who reveals hidden costs, rather than another person
• Suggests that commitment to the person is at least part of why low-balling works

Question 15

Implications of Commitment & Consistency

Answer 15

The more effort we put into something, the more we will need to justify that effort

Question 16

Aronson & Mills, 1959

Commitment & Consistency Sex Discussion

Answer 16

• Subjects volunteered to participate in a series of group discussions on the psychology of sex
• Randomly assigned to severe, moderate, or mild initiations
- Mild: Can you discuss sex freely?
- Moderate and Severe conditions: read these index cards while experimenter rates your embarrassment
- Moderate: sex-related words (e.g., prostitute, virgin)
- Severe: obscene words (e.g. fuck, cock)
• After they
- Listened to group discussion (taped)
- Or Extremely boring discussion
• Rated attitudes toward the group discussion and other participants

Results
The Severe condition was more likely to rate the discussion and intesting and thing that it was worth it.

Question 17

Implications of Commitment & Consistency

and Child-rearing

Answer 17

• Implications of a severe threat (Freedman, 1965)
• “It is wrong to play with the robot. If you play with the robot, I’ll be very angry and will have to do something about it.”
• “It is wrong to play with the robot.”
• Never bribe or heavily threaten. Make them take internal responsibility over their actions to make the attitudes stick.

Question 18

Buyer’s Remorse

Post decision dissidence

Answer 18

Have the buy fill out the sales forms

Have the buy ask why they chose to buy

Question 19

Placing a bet or voting does what to confidence of winning?

Why?

Answer 19

Increases it

Consistency principal

Question 20

Increasing Voting Behaviour through Commitment & Consistency

Answer 20

Greenwald, 1987
•	Called university students and asked whether they were registered to vote and were they aware of registration deadline
•	Prediction or no prediction
•	100% said they would vote
•	What happened on election day?  
o	Prediction:  86.7%
o	No prediction:  61.5%

Individual Differences?
• Preference for Consistency scale
• Age
• Individualism

More recently, asking eligible voters whether they plan on “being a voter”

Question 21

Explain the Study:

online survey of “school and social relationships”

Answer 21

• ½ participants were American born, ½ were from Asian countries
• Asked to participate in a 20-min online survey of “school and social relationships”
• A month later, 40-minute related survey
• What tactic is this? Foot in the Door
• Results? American where more likely to fill out the second survey

Question 22

If you were having trouble motivating yourself to study for an important exam that is less than a week away. How could you take advantage of the commitment process to get yourself to put in the necessary study time?

Answer 22

Make commitment to study public

Take steps to create a self-perception of being a “studier”

Question 23

Stealing a radio study

Answer 23

On a beach. Researchers set up a scene where someone was laying on a blanket and listening to a radio then got up and walked away. When they were gone a “thief” would come and take the radio. Only 4 in 20 observers tried to stop it.
But if the person said please watch my things before walking away then 19 out of 20 tried to stop the theft.
This is an example of the consistency principal.

Question 24

Foolish fortress

Answer 24

When we are consistent to protect ourselfs from thinking about things we don’t want to.
Ex. the meditation down payment story

Question 25

How toy companies can keep a sales demand after Christmas

Answer 25

Hype demand before Christmas so parents promise to get it for their kids
Have a limited supply so parents can’t get it before Christmas
Increases supply after Christmas so parents feel obligated to go back and get it because they promised.

Question 26

Chinese POW camps

Answer 26

Polices seemed lenient
Pow’s informed on each other more than anywhere else
Almost every prisoner collaborated in some way
The Chinese got them to say mild (harmless?) anti American or pro-communist statements. And do to consistence principle they found it easier and easier to comply with larger requests. It worked because they did these things when they were not forced to so the prisoners believed it must be their opinion.

Question 27

In order to affect someone’s self-image a request need to be…

Answer 27

1. Active (filling out a form vs. failing to fill out a form) (written vs. verbal agreement.)
2. Public
3. Effortful (making people look up the price of a concert) (initiation ceremony)
4. Freely chosen (small prizes vs. large ones) (own the reason for participation) (inner responsibility)

Question 28

The primary source for information on ones beliefs, values, and attitudes is….

Answer 28

One’s behavior

Question 29

“momentum of compliance”

Answer 29

A way to explain the compliance principal.

Question 30

Students guess public or privately

Study

Answer 30

Estimate the length of lines and then:
• Write their estimate and sign a paper then give it to experimenter
• Write their estimate one a magic board then erase it
• Not write anything
Results
• Writing was more likely to make them stick to their first estimate after new information then not writing
• Publicly writing made participants less likely to change then privately.

Question 31

Coming of age in a tribe in south Africa. The Thonga

Answer 31

Boys aged 10 – 16 go to “circumcision school”
Hs undergoes hazing by the adult males in the form of:
Running gauntlet between 2 rows of men who beat him with clubs
Then striped of clothing and hair is cut
He then faces a man wearing a lion’s mane who circumcises the boy when he is distracted by someone hitting him from behind.
He is then secluded for three months in the “yard of mysteries” where he undergoes six trials. (Beating, cold, thirst, unsavory foods, punishment, and threat of death.)

Question 32

Defence for commitment and consistency

Answer 32

Awareness and paying attention to the signs
- Stomach Signs: the feeling in the pit of ones stomach when we notice something might not be right
- Heart of Heart Signs – the place we cannot fool ourselves, feeling before thought
Special Vulnerabilities
- Age: falling for commitment and consistency increases with age
- Individualism: nations that encourage individualism are also more swayed by commitment and consistency.

Question 33

“grow their own legs”

Answer 33

How low balling tequine works. It allows people to find other reasons for compliance before taking away the first reason.

Question 34

Why do we want to look and be consistent in our actions?

Answer 34

Goal of Maintaining a Positive Self-Concept
• Personal consistency valued by society
• Beneficial approach to life
• It is easier to be consistent (mental shortcut)

Question 35

What one of the four factors affect a person’s self-image?

Answer 35

1. Active (filling out a form vs. failing to fill out a form) (written vs. verbal agreement.)
2. Public
3. Effortful (making people look up the price of a concert) (initiation ceremony)
4. Freely chosen (small prizes vs. large ones) (own the reason for participation) (inner responsibility)

Question 36

What make a written commitment so effective?

Answer 36

It is Active, could become public

Question 37

How would you advise solders to avoid the consistency principles of being a POW?

Answer 37

Awareness and paying attention to the signs
Avoid tasks that are
• Active (filling out a form vs. failing to fill out a form) (written vs. verbal agreement.)
• Public
• Effortful (making people look up the price of a concert) (initiation ceremony)
And if you do chose to do something don’t think of it as freely chosen. Find and excuse for yourself for participating. (the prize is worth it, I am manipulating them to make my life easier.)

Question 38

Self-perception theory

Answer 38

You don’t know how you feel or your opinions you look at your pervious actions

Question 39

Boomerang effect

Answer 39

The unintended attitude change of a subject from a persuasion message. In other words, the individual changes his/her own attitudes in the opposite direction to the intention of the communicator in persuasive communication.
One condition in which FITD can cause a boomerang effect

If requests are made in a short period of time by the same person

Question 40

Foot-in-the-Mouth Effect

Answer 40

Before asking for a donation, ask people how they are feeling
• A form of commitment about feeling good therefor you can donate

Question 41

cognitive dissonance

Answer 41

is the excessive mental stress and discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, and/or values at the same time. This stress and discomfort may also arise within an individual who holds a belief and performs a contradictory action or reaction.