Anotace:
This article’s focus is on the application of the principle of commitment and consistency, which speaks of the fact that the moment we make a commitment, we increase the likelihood that we will maintain consistent behaviour in the matter to which we have committed ourselves. An experimental study on the principle of commitment and consistency of behaviour examines the effect of signing an informed consent containing an instruction not to cheat on the consistency of behaviour – that is, whether an individual will truly not cheat – under the influence of normative social influence. Based on the data obtained, a medium to strong and statistically significant relationship was found between commitment and behaviour. It has been found that half of the participants, when having made a commitment, maintain consistent behaviour even when conditions directly encourage them to be inconsistent. The results show that this is an effective principle of persuasion that works automatically and without us even realising it.