When manipulation backfires: The effects of time delay and requester on the foot-in-the-door technique

We examined the effects of 2 variables on compliance rates within the foot- in-the-door procedure. Participants who agreed to a small request were pres ented with a larger request either immediately after the first request or 2 days later. The second request was presented either by the same person or by a different requester. Compared to a control group receiving only the la rge request, participants were more likely to agree to the second request i n all experimental conditions except one. When the same requester presented the second request without delay, participants were less likely than the c ontrol group to agree to the target request. This latter condition represen ts a situation in which typical foot-in-the-door procedures can backfire on the requester.