Lecture 3 - Principles of Persuasion

Question 1

What does reciprocity mean?

Answer 1

People feel the urge to repay in kind (to reciprocate). When you want someone to do something for you, it’s better if you do something for them first (in order for them to feel more predisposed to help back).

Question 2

Why does reciprocity work?

Answer 2

People do not want to feel in debt (implicit balance).
People want to restore the balance by giving something back.

Question 3

What is the ‘‘That’s not all technique’’?

Answer 3

Increasing compliance by improving the deal.

Before one making a decision, you give them an extra attribute (discount, extra small product etc.) People are thus more likely to agree to a purchase.

Question 4

How can the ‘‘That’s not all technique’’ be improved?

Answer 4

By making a pause before announcing the product and the extra product (changing the dynamic of the announcement).

Question 5

What are the two techniques of reciprocity?

Answer 5

That’s not all and the Door-in-the-face technique

Question 6

What is the ‘‘Door-in-the-face technique?

Answer 6

Someone might be more likely to comply with your request, if you first ask for a bigger request. (filling 2-hour interview and then announcing a 10-minute interview).

People want to do a favour for you once they have rejected the first one.

Question 7

What is the theory of commitment and consistency?

Answer 7

People act consistently with their previous commitments.

Question 8

In what scenarios are commitments more likely to be consistent?

Answer 8

1) When we have voluntarily commited to a cause rather than being forced to it (more aligned with reinforcing own identity)

2) Large commitment - sunk cost fallacy - consistent with things because of large costs involved in the past

3) Public commitment - accountability and keeping promise is highly valued

4) Commitments simplify decision-making - heuristics as consistency pattern.

Question 9

What are the techniques in commitment and consistency domains?

Answer 9

Foot-in-the-door technique - small request ‘‘yes’’, then a larger one ‘‘yes’’ again - people feel committed to comply

Mere measurement - stating intentions commits people to act accordingly

'’Lowballing’’ technique - committing people to purchase (misleading promotion only to sell them another product - they have made the effort to visit the store)

Giver-matched gifts - we like to find the consistency of the giver and the gift (a gift mug of Louvre given by a French person);

Commitment and consistency are qualities we search for an appreciate in other people.

Question 10

What is the foot-in-the-door technique?

Answer 10

Asking the target to comply with a small request that they would likely accept - YES, and then ask a bigger request => people are more likely to comply with bigger request because they had agreed once already.

Question 11

What are two explanations for the foot-in-the-door technique occurence?

Answer 11

People reflect recent actions.
Consistency with the self entails agreeing again.

Question 12

What is the mere measurement effect?

Answer 12

When positive intentions are stated aloud, people are more likely to commit to what they have said (voting, donating blood etc.)

Question 13

What is the lowballing technique?

Answer 13

Unethical.
Presenting a deal to a customer, and when the customer wants to claim the deal, the deal is no longer availability and therefore the seller proposes another product (seller never had the intention to offer the actual deal).

Question 14

What is the giver-matched gift concept?

Answer 14

We appreciate consistency in other people - Liking the idea of a gift that we can associate with the giver’s identity (French gift from a French person etc.)

Question 15

What is the concept of liking?

Answer 15

People are more likely to accept a request from someone that they like.

Question 16

Why do we like in general?

Answer 16

Physical attraction
Similarity
Compliments
Familiary

Question 17

Why do we like similar people?

Answer 17

These people share our values and preferences. Thus they are more likely to offer us something that we also like.

Question 18

What does incidental similarity mean?

Answer 18

Similarity increases compliance despite the fact that this similarity (e.g. sharing a birthday) does not make any sense for compliance to occur.

(People with same birthdays => participants were more likely to comply with requests with people who they share birthdays with.

Question 19

How does familiarity influence liking?

Answer 19

Mere exposure = the more we are exposed to something, the more likely we are to comply with it. The more we are exposed to hearing/seeing something, the more likely we are to state we like it. The more familiar we become with someone’s face, the more likely we are to find them beautiful.

Question 20

What is the idea of social proof?

Answer 20

The idea that people follow the lead of similar others (notifying people about other people already having their taxes paid on time so people are more stimulated to follow the social proof and pay tax on time too)

Question 21

What makes social proof to work?

Answer 21

1) The uncertainty in our own preferences - not knowing if we will like a product, therefore we use people’s reviews and preferences to make a judgement; seeing a tipping jar when we are unsure if we should tip or not- we understand that tipping is done by other people

Question 22

How does social influence work?

Answer 22

Even if people are certain in their choices, they might make the opposite choice based on:
1) Informational social influence - infer what is right by seeing what other people choose

2) Normative social influence - following people’s norms - not upsetting others or looking like an odd one.

Question 23

How does social influence work?

Answer 23

Even if people are certain in their choices, they might make the opposite choice based on:
1) Informational social influence - infer what is right by seeing what other people choose

2) Normative social influence - following people’s norms - not upsetting others or looking like an odd one.

Question 24

What is the principle of scarcity?

Answer 24

The more a product has the shape of being highly desired and limited (scarce), the more likely are people to want it.
This is explained by competitiveness, social proof, more valuable;

Question 25

How is scarcity used in businesses?

Answer 25

Deals of the day, limited number of rooms left, limited colours.

Question 26

How does authority persusades people?

Answer 26

1) Valuing expertise - unique knowledge, power etc.

People are signaling authority - displaying money, success, diplomas etc - increasing the likelihood that people comply to you once they know you have some sort of authority.

Real vs not so valuable expertise

Question 27

What are the explanations for door-in-the-face work?

Answer 27

1) Reciprocity
2) Reference point
3) Feelings of control - feeling like they have made a good deal by accepting the second lower-decision

Question 28

What are the the explanations for the that’s-not-all technique

Answer 28

1) Reciprocity
2) Favorable reference point
3) Liking someone

Question 29

What are the explanations for the that’s-not-all technique?

Answer 29

1) Reciprocity
2) Favorable reference point - reference point + gain
3) Liking someone

Question 30

What is the foot in the mouth technique?

Answer 30

Engaging with the other person first to show care towards them before asking for a request (liking, commitment, consistency)

Question 31

Why free samples work?

Answer 31

Reciprocity, liking, commitment and consisteny (trying a product and wanting more of it) ; loss aversion (losing on the benefit you have when trying new things afterwards)

Question 32

Through which techniques special deals work?

Answer 32

Scarcity and social proof

Question 33

What are the tradeoffs in managerial decisions that choose to implement many of the persuasion techniques at once in their campaign?

Answer 33

Trade of between:

Strength of intervention - more principles = stronger effects

Informativeness - more principles = less likely to know which ones worked.

Question 34

Why persuasion techniques might not work?

Answer 34

Calibration - how operationally a technique is applied door-in-the-face (too extreme q1), no delay better- foot in the door (too-demanding) - questions should be related, and better if there is a delay.

Individual differences

Cultural determinants

Awareness of a technique being used

Question 35

What individual difference can create variance in the success of techniques such as door-in-the-face and foot-in-the-door techniques?

Answer 35

Personal preference for consistency (PPFC)

Question 36

Which techniques are more effective in individualism-and collectivism-prone socieities?

Answer 36

Individualism - commitment and consistency
Collectivism - social proof

Question 37

What is the principle of consistency?

Answer 37

People align with their clear commitments.

Question 38

Why is exclusive information more favourable than widely available data?

Answer 38

Due to the scarcity effect.

Question 39

How does the losing frame help with influencing?

Answer 39

Highlight what is at stakes to being lost if you make a certain decision.

Question 40

What does the group framing imply?

Answer 40

People are more likely to do something for a group if there is a common group identity.

Question 41

What are the six principles of persuasion of Cialdini?

Answer 41

Principle of liking
Principle of authority
Principle of reciprocity
Principle of social proof
Principle of scarcity
Principle of consistency

Question 42

Which are the principles of prospect theory?

Answer 42

Reference dependence
Loss aversion
Diminishing sensitivity
Probability weighting