Does self-perception change explain the foot-in-the-door effect

Bibliographic Data

ID6202353
AuthorsDonald R Gorassini (Western University, corresponding author), James M Olson (0000-0001-5990-6534)
Year1995
Volume69
Issue1
Pages91-105
Publication date1995-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0022-3514.69.1.91
OpenAlexW4233949581
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited31

Consent to perform a small favor increases a respondent's susceptibility to perform a relatively large favor. This phenomenon, known as the foot-in-the-door effect, is considered to result from induced self-perception changes: the respondent comes to feel helpful for doing the small favor and complies again later out ofa desire to maintain the instilled self-view. This study did not find a link between self-perception changes and large-request compliance in 2 experiments, although manipulations successfully altered self-rated helpfulness. Specifically, self-rated helpfulness increased (in Experiments 1 & 2) if participants' consent to a small favor brought social approval, and the ratings decreased (in Experiment 2) when social feedback for the small favor contained consensus information (i.e., indicated everyone else was also doing the favor). However, the ratings failed to predict either foot-in-the-door effects actually observed or compliance generally. Preexperimental gender differences in self-perceived helpfulness, in which women construed themselves to be more helpful than men, did successfully predict compliance with the large request. Implications for a theory of foot-in-the-door are discussed

Behavior change · Cognitive psychology · Foot (prosody · Perception · Social perception · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Psychology of Social Influence · Social Psychology · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts

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