Question

A person asks you if you would volunteer to counsel delinquent youths at a detention center for one year. When you refuse, she asks you if you could supervise the youths during a trip to the zoo. She is using the ________.technique.a) lowball

b) door-in-the-face
c) foot-in-the-door
d) bait-and-switch

Answer 1

The answer is: b) door-in-the-face.

The-door-in-the-face technique is a compliance method frequently explored by social psychologists.

By using this technique, person A attempts to convince person B to do something. Person A first makes a large request, assuming that person B will probably not accept it. Metaphorically, person B's refusal represents slamming of a door in person A's face. Person A then makes a smaller request (in this case trip to the zoo), convinced that person B will accept it, having a guilty conscience.