1. Low-Balling
“Oh, by the way…”

2. Lecture Outline Low-balling technique
Insufficient justification technique
Discussion/applications

3. Low-Balling
Nature of technique
Does it work?

4. Low-Balling Cialdini et al 1978 E1 Recruitment phone call
Take part in study
Cost
7 a.m.
Control
Disclosed immediately
Experimental
Disclosed after commitment

5. Low-Balling
My name is ____ and I’m calling from the psychology department to schedule psychology 100 students for an experiment on thinking processes. The experiment concerns the way people organize facts. We can give you 1 hour of credit for your participant in the experiment.
Well, we have more than one time during the week, but right now I’m just interested in finding out if you wish to participate.
Agree/disagree
The room in which the experiment is being held is used during the day and evening by other people in the department; so we are running this experiment at 7:00 in the morning on Wednesdays and Fridays. Can I put you down for Wednesday or Friday morning at 7:00?
The room in which the experiment is being held is used during the day and evening by other people in the department; so we are running this experiment at 7:00 in the morning on Wednesdays and Fridays. Can I put you down for Wednesday or Friday morning at 7:00?
Agree/disagree
Agree/disagree

6. Low-Balling Result Effectiveness of low balling supported
Commitment, control 31 vs. low-ball 56%
Keeping of appointment, control 24% vs. low ball 53%
Effectiveness of low balling supported

7. Low-Balling Selection of participants
People selected: Intro psych students
Situation selected: Phone call

8. Low-Balling Commencement of interaction Built into the situation
Powerful technique
Ambivalent attitude
Curious
Apprehensive

9. Low-Balling Request To take part in the study Attitude elaborated
Clear
Expectation of performance
Attitude elaborated
Some opportunity
Some possible cost

10. Low-Balling Action implication cues: cost information Control—divulged
Low-ball—not divulged at first

11. Low-Balling Control condition Compliance test 1
Agree/disagree
Opportunity provided to respond
Commitment among those who agreed
Compliance test 2
Arrive/don’t arrive

12. Low-Balling Low-ball condition Compliance test 1
Agree/disagree to participate
Opportunity to respond
Open ended commitment among those who agreed
Compliance test 2: ambiguous
Agree/disagree to participate?
Choose a day, Wednesday/Friday?
Prior commitment determines interpretation
Commitment among those who agreed
Compliance test 3
Arrive/don’t arrive

13. Low-Balling Theory Behavioral part of attitude is affected
Determines subsequent interpretation and action
With time, other aspects of the attitude might be affected
“growing legs to stand on”

14. Insufficient Justification
“Would you mind doing me a favor?”

15. Induced Compliance Famous Festinger and Carlsmith experiment
Creating true believers

16. Induced Compliance 2 hr experiment Experimental conditions Control
“measures of performance”
Place 12 spools in tray; remove; repeat for half an hour
Turn 48 pegs half turn; then another half turn, and so on for half an hour
Experimental conditions
Act as confederate—describe study as enjoyable
Paid $20 or paid $1
Control
Not asked to act as confederate

17. Induced Compliance Assessment of enjoyment Results
Psychology department quality control survey
Rate “how enjoyable he tasks were” (-5 extremely dull and boring to +5 extremely interesting and enjoyable)
Results
Control mean: -0.45
$20 mean: -0.05
$1 mean: +1.25

18. Induced Compliance Hypothesis
People in the $20 condition would like the experiment most of all (compared to 1$ payees and controls)

19. Induced Compliance Phase 1 Interactional context
Commencement of interaction
Request
Compliance test
Opportunity

20. Induced Compliance Phase 2 Interactional context
Commencement of interaction
Request
Compliance implication cue
Payment
Compliance test
Opportunity
Consequences

21. Induced Compliance Phase 3 Context, interaction, request, cost
Compliance test
Opportunity
To comply
To ‘witness’

22. Induced Compliance Implications How this works
Induce action but hide costs
Give illusion of choice
Allow action to occur
Seek behaviors of commitment to behavior consistent attitude

23. Induced Compliance
Why it works
Dissonance induction
Self-perception

24. Conclusions

25. Applications?