door-in-the-face technique

Definition. n. The door-in-the-face (DITF) technique is used to elicit a desired behavior via a two-step process. First, a requester asks an individual to help with a very large request, to which almost no one agrees. After a refusal to gain agreement for the first task, the requester asks the individual to aid with a second, smaller request, which frequently is related to the first. The requester’s original goal was always to garner agreement to this second request; therefore, failing to gain agreement to the first appeal was simply a means to an end. Having refused to agree to help with the first task makes it more likely that someone will agree to help with the second request, compared to a situation in which that person had not been asked to help in the first place.

Examples. The DITF technique is applied in a variety of settings, including gaining volunteer assistance. For example, a common application of the DITF technique is first to ask individuals to volunteer an excessive number of unpaid work hours in support of some cause (e.g., 2 hours a week for 2 years: an excessively difficult task), then to follow that request with a plea to volunteer a more reasonable amount of time in support of the same cause (e.g., 2 hours total: a less costly request). After failing to agree to volunteer a large number of hours in support of a particular cause, individuals are more likely to agree to donate at least a few hours to that cause than if they had not originally been asked to help. Other applications of the DITF technique have been in sales settings (e.g., clothing salespeople typically aim to sell big-ticket items first, such as a complete suit, then smaller items such as ties) and negotiations settings (e.g., job candidates may first request an extremely large salary they do not expect to receive, followed by a smaller, more reasonable salary request).

Explanation. Several theories explain why the DITF technique increases agreement with requests. One is reciprocity, which states that people feel inclined to help those who have previously helped them. According to this explanation, when an individual fails to help with the initial task and the requester follows with a request to help with a less difficult task, the individual being asked feels as though the requester has done him or her a favor that must be repaid. In other words, the individual feels the need to reciprocate the requester’s making an easier request by agreeing to help with the second task.

Another common explanation for the effectiveness of the DITF technique in eliciting desired behaviors is contrast theory. According to contrast theory, after one has been asked to perform an extremely large task, subsequent smaller requests seem even smaller than they would than if they had not been preceded by the large request. People may agree to help with the second, less costly request because in the context of following the first request, it does not seem a taxing request; certainly, it seems less taxing than if no initial request had been made.

Finally, self-presentation theory may explain why the DITF technique is effective in eliciting desired behaviors. In essence, the self-perception explanation states that individuals feel bad after refusing to help initially, so they agree with the follow-up request to feel better about their previous refusal to help.

- AEC, LAB