The role of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness in compliance-gaining: Predicting persistence, obstacle focus, and strategy use in telephone requests for blood donation

The present study examined the relationship between the individual difference traits of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness and compliance-gaining behavior. High argumentative, low verbal aggressive sources were predicted to be more persistent, obstacle focused, and more willing to use confrontive strategies than other trait combinations during telephone requests for blood donations from prior donors of the American Red Cross. The predicted relationships did not hold for the high argumentative, low verbal aggressive group. Instead, the results revealed that the low argumentative, high verbal aggressive group was significantly more persistent and confrontive than the other three combinations of traits. No significant findings emerged for obstacle focus. The results obtained were significant and directly opposite of the predictions. Potential explanations of the unexpected findings for all three of the hypotheses center around Politeness Theory, and the speculated relationships are elaborated in the final chapter.