3.3.2—Compliance techniques
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2027
- Objective
- 3.3.2
- Level
- HL
Compliance techniques obtain behaviour by shaping a request
Compliance is responding to a request or offer. Techniques change the likelihood of agreement by altering commitment, perceived cost, social proof, reciprocity or the sequence in which requests are made.
A compliance effect is stronger when the request is recognised, the person has some choice and the later action connects to the earlier cue. Ethical analysis matters because persuasion can exploit pressure or incomplete information.
A small request to sign a water-saving pledge may make a later conservation action feel consistent. That result is not guaranteed: the person may agree publicly yet behave differently when the real cost appears.
Compliance is not obedience, hypnosis or proof that a person lacks agency. Identify the request and technique, explain the psychological mechanism, and measure whether group behaviour—not only stated intention—changed.