Door-in-the-face technique and monetary solicitation: an evaluation in a field setting

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• The door-in-the-face (DITF) technique is a compliance strategy where an initial large request is followed by a smaller, target request.
• Its effectiveness in private solicitation settings, particularly in informal environments like bars, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically test the efficacy of the door-in-the-face technique in a real-world private solicitation scenario.
• To assess the impact of DITF on compliance rates and the average donation amount.

Main Methods:

• A field experiment was conducted in several bars involving 90 participants (53 men, 37 women).
• Participants were approached by a female confederate using either a control condition (direct small request) or the DITF condition (large request to buy a drink, followed by a small request for coins).

Main Results:

• Compliance rates were dramatically higher in the door-in-the-face condition compared to the control condition.
• The average donation amount was also significantly higher when the DITF technique was employed.
• The perceived dependency of the solicitor appeared to be a key factor in the DITF effect.

Conclusions:

• The door-in-the-face technique is a highly effective strategy for increasing compliance in private solicitations within bar environments.
• The strategy not only boosts the likelihood of compliance but also increases the average contribution.
• Highlighting the solicitor's dependency may enhance the persuasive power of the DITF technique.