Functional Analysis of Persuasive Interaction in a Role-Playing Experiment

One hundred eighty-six male undergraduates were separately confronted by someone (an actor) asking them to sign a petition in a laboratory experiment of multifactorial design. The actor's behavior and the S's response were rated with the use of two four-dimensional schemes, one based on Leary-Bales-Couch interaction process and the other Parsons-Effrat functional ("AGIL") analysis. Positive behavior by the actor and, to some extent, "serious" behavior were reciprocated by S. The rating schemes were significantly interrelated with dominance associated with functional Goal-attainment force (G), positiveness with emphasis on interpersonal Integration (I), seriousness with reliance on Adaptive information (A), and (to some extent) conforming behavior with concern for basic values (Latent pattern maintenance (L)). When the petition's content was consistent with the S's value orientation, increased dominance by the actor augmented S's readiness to sign. Otherwise, dominance had the opposite effect. The relative effects of various pressures are consistent with a "cybernetic hierarchy" in the expected order L-I-G-A, the "L" area having the most influence.