2.3.2—Compliance techniques
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2027
- Objective
- 2.3.2
- Level
- HL
Commitment makes a later request harder to refuse
A compliance technique changes behaviour by shaping a person's response to a request. Commitment works by obtaining an earlier agreement or intention that makes a consistent later action feel more likely.
The first step needs willing participation, and the later request must be recognisably connected. Commitment can support prosocial behaviour, but an intention is not the same as verified behaviour; timing, pressure and context still matter.
In the Dickerson water-conservation study, signing a conservation poster and answering a water-use questionnaire was followed by shorter showers than in the control condition. The example illustrates a mechanism, not a universal effect size.
Commitment is not subliminal control and it does not remove agency. Ask what the person agreed to, how freely they agreed, and whether the later behaviour actually matches the commitment.