A multidimensional scaling validation of an inductively‐derived set of compliance‐gaining strategies

Abstract

After a review of the research on compliance‐gaining strategies, it was decided that deductive approaches toward the development of a taxonomy of compliance‐gaining strategies are limited because of epistemological and methodological problems. Instead of a deductive approach, the paper proposes that an inductively‐derived taxonomy is a more valid and reliable classification scheme of compliance‐gaining strategies. The paper therefore attempts to ascertain the representational validity of a particular inductively‐derived taxonomy of compliance‐gaining strategies. The assessment of the representational validity was accomplished by comparing proposed properties of the taxonomy with a multidimensional scaling representation of subjects’ perceptions of persuasive messages. The comparison indicated that the taxonomy had a high degree of representational validity. Finally, it was suggested that future research should focus on the dynamics of the properties of compliance‐gaining strategies.