Your cousin asks you to pledge $5.00 for a school charity one year. The next year she asks you to pledge $20.00. And the following year she asks you to pledge $50.00. Even though you would have never agreed to pledge $50.00 the first year, her "gradual buildup approach" is successful. In social psychology, this approach to persuasion is known as ____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The gradual buildup approach described in the scenario is an example of the foot-in-the-door technique. This technique involves getting someone to agree to a small request, then gradually increasing the size of the request. In this case, the cousin asked for a small pledge amount the first year, then gradually increased it over time. This technique works because people tend to be more likely to agree to a larger request if they have already agreed to a smaller one.

Your Cousin Asks You to Pledge $5