Deck 2: Reciprocation

Question 1

A study by Dennis Regan examined how the factors of liking for a requester and receiving a favor a free Coke) from a requester influenced the tendency to comply with the requester's subsequent appeal to purchase some raffle tickets. What happened?

A) Both liking and reciprocity were strong and equal motivators of compliance.
B) Reciprocity was the more powerful motivator because, when subjects owed the requester a favor, they bought as many tickets when they disliked him as when they liked him.
C) Liking was the more powerful motivator because the requester's prior favor hardly influenced subjects' decisions to buy the raffle tickets.
D) Both liking and reciprocity were ineffective motivators of compliance.

Answer 1

Reciprocity was the more powerful motivator because, when subjects owed the requester a favor, they bought as many tickets when they disliked him as when they liked him.

Question 2

Which of the alternatives below best represents the advice given in Influence for defending ourselves against those who would try to exploit the reciprocity rule for their benefit?

A) Surrender, the rule is too ingrained and potent to fight.
B) Refuse to accept any initial favors from others, thereby preventing the activation of the rule.
C) Accept initial offers of favors in good faith, but be ready react to them as tricks, not favors, if they are later revealed as exploitation devices.
D) None of the above.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT true regarding rule of reciprocity?

A) It is most often invoked in order to exploit those who follow it.
B) It is beneficial to groups as a whole.
C) It is exhibited not just in Western cultures, but in all cultures around the world.
D) There are great psychological costs to not following the rule.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In a 1976 study, Kunz and Woolcott sent Christmas cards to a sample of complete strangers. According to the rule of reciprocation, what would we expect the majority of the recipients to do?

A) Send a Christmas card to the researchers.
B) Contact the researchers to find out who sent the card.
C) Return the card to the researchers, since it must have been misaddressed.
D) Throw out the cards and not send anything to the researchers.

Question 5

Which of the following is false about the sense of future obligation embodied in the reciprocity rule?

A) It provides a genuine advantage to societies who live by it.
B) It allows for the development of sophisticated and coordinated systems of aid, defense, and trade.
C) It reduces the tendency of one person to start an exchange relationship with another.
D) Societies train their members to abide by it.

Question 6

The societal rule for reciprocating favors is frequently exploited by compliance professionals. Which of the following is not a reason for this frequent exploitation?

A) The rule is powerful, often overpowering the influence of other compliance-related factors.
B) It works even when we are given a favor we did not request.
C) It works equally well in both the short and long-term, even for small favors.
D) It can work to produce larger return favors for the requester than the requester initially requested.

Question 7

According to the research on reciprocity, when do we dislike those who violate the rule of reciprocation?

A) We dislike those who receive a favor but do not return it.
B) We dislike those who do a favor but do not allow us to return it.
C) Both a and b
D) Neither a nor b

Question 8

For reciprocity to function:

A) we must like the person who gives us a gift.
B) we must like the gift that the person gives us
C) both a and b
D) neither a nor b

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT true of reciprocity?

A) people typically feel uncomfortable receiving a favor without repaying it.
B) people feel obligated to receive a gift if it is offered, even if they do not want it.
C) people feel indebted to someone for a gift, even if they did not want it.
D) people typically attempt to repay favors only with favors of equal value.

Question 10

According to the research, which of the following is not likely to lead to feelings of indebtedness?

A) Sending someone a set of personalized address labels with a request for a donation.
B) Buying someone a drink in a bar.
C) Asking someone for an unreasonable favor, and then retreating to asking for a smaller favor.
D) None of the above. They will all lead to feelings of indebtedness.

Question 11

How does a long-term relationship, such as one has with a close friend or family member, affect expectations for reciprocity?

A) Exchanges are monitored such that each person ensures that the partner who is indebted alternates regularly between the two.
B) Each person is expected to give when the other is in need and they are able to give, regardless of who has given more in the past.
C) Each person works to give more, thus keeping the other indebted to them.
D) It does not affect reciprocity. Reciprocal exchanges operate in the same way in both short-term and long-term relationships.

Question 12

The rejection-then retreat technique a.k.a. door-in-the-face technique) works because of the following EXCEPT

A) people feel guilty after rejecting the first request.
B) people feel the need to counter a requester's concession with a concession of their own.
C) people see the second request as a smaller request when it follows the rejected request.
D) None of the above That is, all of the above contribute to its effectiveness)

Question 13

The rejection-then-retreat technique has been shown, not only to increase the percentage of subjects verbally agreeing to perform a request, but also the percentage who behaviorally perform it and the percentage who volunteer for future similar favors. Which of the alternatives below best describes the explanation given in Influence for these latter effects i.e., behavioral and future compliance)?

A) Guilt
B) Satisfaction with the first agreement
C) A feeling of responsibility for arriving at the first agreement
D) All of the above
E) Only b and c

Question 14

The power of reciprocity, even among those who claim to be unaffected by it, is demonstrated by

A) differential support found by researchers regarding the safety of drugs depending on whether pharmaceutical companies were a source of researchers' funding.
B) the higher likelihood of US congressional representatives who received the most funding from special interest groups to vote in favor of the group who donated the most money to their campaign.
C) the difficulty that former President Jimmy Carter, a Washington-outsider, had in getting his programs through Congress
D) All of the above.

Question 15

Surveys sent by mail often have low response rates. Which technique is likely to be more effective in increasing the number of responses:

A) Including a "gift" check for $5 with the survey.
B) Offering to send respondents $5 after they have returned the survey.
C) Both a and b will be equally effective
D) Neither a nor b will be effective