persuasion The key to using FITD is to get the person to initially grant a small request. For example, if you were to ask someone, "Can I have just thirty seconds of your time?" most individuals would respond affirmatively. According to selfperception theory, the person would observe his own behavior and, in regard to this interaction, consider himself to be a helpful person. The second step in the FITD principle is making another, more involved request. "Can I try this on the stain on your carpet?" The person feels he should consent to the second request because he is "that kind of person. He has already seen himself do other behaviors in support of the product or service, so he willingly complies with the second request. A 1966 study by psychologists Jonathan Freedman and Scott Fraser highlights just how effective FITD is. In their study, a researcher posing as a volunteer canvassed a California neighborhood, asking residents it the) would allow a large billboard reading "Drive Carefully" to be displayed on their front lawns. So they'd have an idea of what it would look like, the , h;s recruits a picture of the large sign obstructing the view volunteer showed ofa bealj' most people refused, but in one particular group, an incredible Hatura consented. The reason for their compliance was this: '6 peR i „лиг these residents had been asked by another volunteer to Two weeks prior, шс . ake a small commitment to display a threeinchsquare sign that read Be "We Driver" in their windows. Since it was such a small and simple re auest nearly all of them agreed. The astounding result was that the initial small'commitment profoundly influenced their willingness to comply with the much larger request two weeks later. With another group of homeowners, Freedman and Fraser sent petitions requesting their signatures in support of helping to keep California beautiful. Of course, nearly everyone signed. Two weeks later, another volunteer went around and asked them if they'd allow the big "Drive Carefully" sign to be placed in their yards. Amazingly, about half of the homeowners consented, even though their previous small commitment was to state beautification and not safety." Freedman and Fraser were also interested in discovering whether or not they could persuade homemakers to carry out a very large request. They asked the women of the house if they would permit a group of five or six strangers to freely look through their cupboards and storage spaces for two hours, for the purpose of classifying the women's household products. Prior to this request, however, researchers had asked some of the women to take a survey about household products. Of those surveyed, approximately 50 percent consented to allowing the men to go through their household products. Of the women who had not been surveyed, only 25 percent agreed to let the men examine their storage spaces. Another study involved testing to see whether introductory psychology students would rise early to take part in a 7:00 A. persuasion