An examination of self-perception mediation of the foot-in-the-door effect.

Abstract

In 1966, Freedman and Fraser demonstrated that an individual is more likely to comply with a large request for help if that person has previously agreed to an initial small request—a phenomenon they called the effect. In the present survey, studies that have sought to replicate the foot-inthe-door effect are reviewed. The adequacy of a self-perception explanation for the foot-in-the-door effect is assessed by examining (a) the importance of the size of the initial request; (b) the effect of noncompliance with the initial request; (c) the impact of salient external justifications for the initial act of compliance; (d) the impact of social labels on subsequent levels of compliance; and (e) attempts at actually measuring changes in self-percepti on. Alternative explanations of the foot-in-the-door effect are considered and rejected, and directions for future research are outlined. In 1966 Freedman and Fraser tested the notion that once an individual has complied with a small, sometimes trivial request, that person will be more likely to comply with a larger and more substantial demand made in the future—an effect they christened the phenomenon. During the last 12 years, social psychologists have continued to be fascinated by those results. How is it that the simple act of assenting to a small request for help can dramatically increase, even double, the probability of a person's agreeing to give help in the future? Because the foot-in-the-door paradigm has become an important vehicle by which to study the link between self-concept and behavior, it is important to take a step back and ask some basic questions about the progress of this research: (a) Is the foot-in-the-door