Foot-In-The-Door Technique

Brad J. Sagarin

The foot-in-the-door is an influence technique based on the following idea: If you want someone to do a large favor for you, get him or her to do a small favor first. The power of the foot-in-the-door stems from its ability to start with a small, innocuous request and move on to a large, onerous request. In one of the first scientific tests of the foot-in-thedoor, psychologists Jonathan L. Freedman and Scott C. Fraser began with a very small request: They had a researcher go door to door in the California suburb of Palo Alto and ask homeowners to put a small sign in their windows that said “Be a safe driver.” Why would anyone say no to such an innocuous request? After all, who's against safe driving? Little did these homeowners realize, though, that ...

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