CH5665 SEMINAR

COMPLIANCE TACTICS

Shivani Patel Seminar 2

CH10B101 13.03.2014

IIT-Madras.

WHAT IS COMPLIANCE?

Compliance refers to a particular kind of

response acquiescenceto a particular kind of communication request.

People influence each other by asking them to do

something.

Compliance is performing an act at another

persons request or doing what we are asked to do, even though we might not prefer to.

The distinguishing feature of compliance is that

it involves responding to a request from another

individual or group.

COMPLIANCE TACTICS

Compliance tactics are the methods used to

induce increased levels of compliance for any

request.

There are four broad categories into which

compliance tactics are divided by social sciences:

1. Ingratiation

2. Norm of Reciprocity

3. Multiple Request tactics / Sequential tactics

4. Non- sequential tactics

INGRATIATION

Ingratiation is behaving in ways to make one-self

likable to others.

Ingratiation that is transparent can backfire,

leading to the ingratiators dilemma: the more obvious it is that an ingratiator will profit by

impressing the target person, the less likely it is

that the tactic will succeed

Giving sincere compliments

One study found that waitresses could increase

their tips simply by praising the food choices of

customers as they ordered (Seiter, 2007).

Dropping names

NORM OF RECIPROCITY

Principle: We should treat others the way they treat us. People would comply more often if they had

previously received a favour. (Judith Regan, 1971)

Guilt arousal

Common examples:

Charities

Donation groups

Salespeople distribute free goodies

Parking spots in Portugal

Street lights car windshield washes

Norm of reciprocity is so powerful that it works even when (Cialdini, 2007) :

The gift is uninvited

The gift comes from a person one dislikes

The gift results in an uneven exchange.

MULTIPLE REQUEST TACTICS

These are the three classic techniques used to induce compliance.

Other common techniques are:

Thats-not-all : Cake sale

Two-feet-in-the-door : Dating

NON-SEQUENTIAL TACTICS

A teenage boy, Mark, who is a high school

student, has been getting poor grades. His father

wants him to increase the amount of time he

spends studying from 6 to 12 hours a week.

1. Rewarding Activity:

Promise

Pre-giving

2. Punishing Activity:

Threat

Aversive Stimulation

3. Expertise / Authority

4. Activation of Commitment / Debt

REFERENCES

1. Essentials of Social Psychology, 1st Edition;

Michael A. Hogg, Graham M. Vaughan; Pearson

Education Limited 2010.

2. Burger J.M. (1999); The foot-in-the-door

Compliance Procedure: A Multiple Process

Analysis and Review.

3. Robert B. Cialdini and Noah J. Goldstein

(2004); Social Influence: Compliance and

Conformity.

4. Social Psychology; Taylor, Peplau and Sears.

5. Psychology Applied to Modern Life; Weiten,

Dunn and Hammer.