AN ATTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF COMPLIANCE-GAINING INTERACTIONS

We investigated the applicability of Weiner's (1986) attribution theor y to compliance-gaining interactions. Participants telephoned trained confederates and attempted to persuade those confederates to honor a p revious commitment to participate in a research project. Participants' persistence and strategy use were expected to vary depending on the l ocus, stability, and controllability of the excuses for not complying offered by the targets (confederates). Transcripts of telephone intera ctions and participant ratings were analyzed. Attributional dimensions did affect participants, persistence at seeking compliance, use of pa rticular strategies, and perceptions of target sincerity. Implications for compliance gaining and for attribution theory are discussed.