When telemarketers call to ask if you care about poverty and then ask you to donate to a homeless shelter, which social influence technique is being used?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Foot-in-the-door technique involves obtaining a small initial agreement to increase the likelihood of compliance with a larger subsequent request.

1. Relevant concepts and knowledge points
- Foot-in-the-door (FITD): start with a minor request that most people will accept; after compliance, follow with a larger related request. Compliance with the small request increases self-perception as helpful or consistent, making later assent more likely (Freedman & Fraser, 1966).
- Door-in-the-face (DITF): begin with a large, likely-refused request, then retreat to a smaller request.
- Reciprocity: compliance produced by giving something first or doing a favor, creating an obligation to return it.
- Commitment/consistency: a psychological principle explaining why people stick to prior commitments; FITD exploits this principle.

2. Step-by-step reasoning applied to the scenario
- Step 1: Telemarketer asks, “Do you care about poverty?” This is a minimal, non-costly request asking for agreement or a verbal commitment.
- Step 2: Once the person agrees or signals concern, the telemarketer asks for a donation — a larger, costlier request.
- Step 3: The prior small agreement makes the person more likely to comply with the donation request because they want to remain consistent with their earlier expressed values.

3. Intermediate steps / evidence
- Small commitment (verbal agreement) → change in self-perception (“I care about poverty”) → desire to act consistently → increased probability of donating.

4. Why the correct answer is correct
- The sequence exactly matches FITD: small benign request followed by a larger related request. FITD specifically describes this two-step escalation to secure compliance.

5. Why the other options are incorrect
- Reciprocity: would require the caller to give something first (e.g., a free item) to create obligation; that is not happening here.
- Door-in-the-face: would start with a large request (e.g., ask for a big donation) and then follow with a smaller one; the scenario does the opposite.
- Commitment to consistency: this is the underlying psychological principle that explains why FITD works, but the asked-for technique (the behavioral tactic used) is FITD itself, not merely the general principle.

6. Conclusion
The telemarketer’s strategy is the foot-in-the-door technique, which matches the provided answer: foot in the door.

When telemarketers call to ask if you care about poverty and then ask you to donate to a homeless shelter, which social influence technique is being used?单项选择题

类似问题

Which of the following is a criticism of the Social Exchange Theory?

Environmental scientists use many other kinds of knowledge to reach their goals. If a scientist wanted to know how best to urge people to adopt new ideas, they would need an understanding of Blank ______.

Perhaps the most crucial determinant of whether we like someone is whether he or she likes us. This best illustrates the power of

_____________ refers to the notion that the more we encounter a stimulus, the more we grow to like it.

In all likelihood, there is a kernel of truth to the "what is beautiful is good" stereotype; that is, attractive people are often more warm and socially skilled than less attractive people. According to the self fulfilling prophecy, this is probably because

The Abilene Paradox is ______________?

A study finds that targeted group members are more likely to be seen as overly sensitive, whereas non-targeted group members are seen as more credible. Which explanation best accounts for this pattern?

Which one of the following is NOT a stated reason for why “shared realities” create closeness with people?

更多留学生实用工具

智能学习助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单