Are compliance‐gaining strategies dependent on situational variables?

Abstract

Previous research has apparently established that persuasive strategy use is heavily dependent on characteristics of the specific compliance‐gaining situation. Situational variables believed to have systematic effects on strategy choice include intimacy of the interpersonal relationship and duration of the consequences of compliance or noncompliance. This study, an attempt to replicate the prototype studies in the area, finds little support for many of the findings now accepted as general propositions. The likelihood that a strategy will be used in a given situation depends significantly on unanalyzed aspects of message content, so that generalizations about strategy types are problematic.