When opportunity knocks The effect of a perceived unique opportunity on compliance

• Published in: Group processes & intergroup relations Vol. 14; no. 5; pp. 671 - 680
• Main Authors: Burger, Jerry M., Caldwell, David F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-09-2011; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Compliance; Heuristic; Heuristics; Impact analysis; Information; Mediation; Opportunities; Opportunity; Perception; Scarcity; Social behaviour; Studies; opportunity; heuristics; compliance; scarcity
• ISSN: 1368-4302; 1461-7188
• DOI: 10.1177/1368430210391493

Four studies examined the effect of a perceived unique opportunity on compliance. In all four studies, participants who believed they had an opportunity available to few others were more likely to agree with a request than participants who believed the opportunity was widely available or participants who received no opportunity information. We attribute the effect to a widely held heuristic that one should take advantage of unique opportunities. Study results demonstrated that people respond to a perceived unique opportunity even when supplies are not limited and when the opportunity is the result of pure chance. The results of a mediation analysis supported the interpretation that the perceived uniqueness of the opportunity underlies the effect.