Compliance in Social Psychology

Introduction

Compliance:
There are certain situations in which social pressures are much more obvious with direct and
explicit pressure to countersign a specific point of view or behaviour in a certain way. In this
situation, compliance arises. Compliance is the behaviour that occurs in response to direct social
pressure. Compliance refers to the process of complying with a desire, demand, proposal, and,
coercion.

Compliance in Social Psychology:

Social compliance is a continuous process refers to the situation in which, organizations
emphasizes on protecting the health, safety, and rights of their employees, the community and
environment within which they operate, and the overall lives and communities of employees and
workers in their supply and distribution chain.
Social compliance often reflects the concern about the labor rights, labor laws, sustainability,
harvesting etc.

“We define social compliance as looking at wages and benefits, labor rights, discrimination
against gender or vulnerable groups, health, and emergency planning,”
– ‘Starr, Rona’, ‘Association of professional social compliance Auditors’.
Social compliance consists of factors regarding environment, social and the economy by
referring to overall sustainability.
 Techniques to Gain Compliance or Social Compliance

There are several techniques to gain compliance, are given below:

1. Foot – in – the – Door – Technique.
2. Door – in – the – Face – Technique.
3. That’s – Not – All – Technique.
4. Not – So – Free – Sample.

Fot – in – the – Door – in – the

That’s – Not – Not – So – Free
Door – – Face –
All – Technique – Sample
Technique Technique

1. Four – in – the – Door – Technique:

In this technique, the process starts with a small and trivial request and as because it is small
and easier to comply with, the likelihood that, the target of the request will comply higher.
After that, the target is to ask for complying with a large and significant request. So, in this
process, the compliance of the second request increases if the target agrees the first initial
request.
The success of this technique comes when contract or mutual understanding is created
between the persuader and the target once the target agrees to the first and initial request.
Then, when the second, significant and more difficult request is presented in front of the
target, the target feels committed to participate in fulfilling the large request.
Example:
“Experiment Conducted by Freedman and Fraser in 1966”.
They took a sample of housewives and divided them into 4 groups. The first group was asked
a few simple questions about household items over the phone. The experimenters took a gap
of 3 – days after those housewives agreed to answer those questions. After observing them
for 3 – days, then, a request was made to them to permit 5 – 6 men at their home to check the
household items they use in the house.
For the second group, they presented the small request but did not force them to do it. After a
certain gap, they were asked the significant request.
 The third group was made to become familiar with the requester and then the significant
request of allowing 5 – 6 men at their home to check the household items they use, was
made.
And finally, the fourth group was only presented with the big request.
Results were,
SL no Group Percentage of the group agreed to the big request
1. 1st Group 52.8% of people from the 1st group agreed to the bigger request.
2. 2nd Group 33.3% of people from the 2nd group agreed to the bigger request.
3. 3rd Group 27.8% of people from the 3rd group agreed to the bigger request.
4. 4th and Final Group 22.2% of people from the 4th group agreed to the bigger request.

So, this experiment proves that, this is a high chance that targets will agree to the significant
request if they have agreed to the small and initial request that is made first.

2. Door – in – the – Face – Technique:

The process starts with the requestor presenting a significant request to the target and expects
the target to refuse it so that the requestor can ask for the smaller one.
This is the opposite strategy of Foot – in – the – Door technique and also the most effective
method that is used.
The results of this technique comes when the requestor’s intention is getting the second
request agreed by the target, but because there’s a high chance that the target will deny it, the
requestor firstly presents a ridiculous request. As predicted, the request is refused and when
the 2nd request is made, it is agreed more easily and the requestor achieves the purpose.
Example:
“Experiment Conducted by Cialdini and his Colleagues in 1975”
A sample of people were taken and divided into 3 groups.
The first group was presented with a request to volunteer as counsellors for a group of
juvenile delinquents for 2 hours a week, for 2 years. Evidently the request was denied by the
group, then, a second request was made and they were requested to take them to the zoo for 1
day.
The second group was presented with a request, only to take them to the zoo.
The third group was told about the 2 year counselling plan but was only requested to take
them to the zoo.
 Results were,
SL no Group Percentage of the group agreed to the big request
1. 1st Group 50% people from the 1st group agreed to the second request.
2. 2nd Group 17% people from the 1st group agreed to the second request.
3. 3rd Group 25% people from the 1st group agreed to the second request.

So, it indicates that, the smaller request was easily agreed with higher percentage of the 1st group
because of the ridiculous request was made at first place and got rejected. This is how this
techniques works.

3. That’s – Not – All – Technique:

This technique is mostly used in the marketing process of a product or a service where the
marketers to helps potential customers who are unable to decide as to whether they should
purchase the product/service.
As it’s a transparent approach, it can be quite effective and efficient to get the desired results.
This process starts with the requestor or the marketer of the product to place a request to the
buyers/customers and the additionally offering a benefit if they comply with the request.
For example, a beauty salon is opened and started promoting their services. They are offering
a discount card, with a request that, if the customer takes more than BDT 1000/- worth
service from the salon at the very first day, will receive an additional benefit of 20% discount
for next 3 days by showing the discount card.

4. Not – So – Free Technique:

Not – So – Free Technique is referred to the norm of reciprocity which means the social
standard of treating people as they treat us. It indicates the social norm of respecting other
and also expecting the same in return. Such as – forms of appreciation (“Thank you”),
helping others with an expectation of assistance next time.
The sense of reciprocate prosocial behaviour (Internal reciprocity) can influence our actions.
Similarly, a willingness in making a good impression by contributing to fairly which can
later influence the colleagues to do the same and this refers to social reciprocity.
For example,
In the promotional process, it is often seen to use the advantages of the norm of reciprocity
when making the target people to agree to a desired action, such as buying a product or
taking a service. In fundraisers, charities offer small and free gifts, such as – calendars,
notebooks to potential donors during the request of a donation. The recipients feel
appreciated and obligated to make an effort give a donation.
In terms of a product seller – a bad mattress company can offer a customer to use their
mattress for 3 days before purchasing them. So no matter the mattress is not up to the market,
the customer often feel obligated to buy the mattress as a form of gratitude.

Conclusion
The overall study proves that, in psychology, compliance refers to changing a person’s
behaviour and action because of a particular request or direction presented by a requestor
(Such as – marketer, experimenter, donation seeker etc.). The whole process comprising of
the 4 techniques mentioned above to make the target group feel obligated and desire to fit in
the group although denying at the first place. Compliance does not focus on being in a
position of power or authority over others and simply working out the requests by diverting
the target groups’ behaviour through some actions.

Appendix
1. https://www.smartsheet.com/social-compliance
2. https://psychologenie.com/explanation-of-foot-in-door-technique-with-examples
3. https://psychologenie.com/explanation-of-door-in-face-technique-with-examples
4. https://www.psychologistworld.com/behavior/compliance/strategies/overview
5. Text Book - Understanding Psychology – Robert S. Fredman (Thirteenth Edition) –
Chapter – 17 (Social Psychology) – Module 53 (Social influence and groups) –
Compliance.