Effect of an unexpected small favor on compliance with a survey request

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This experiment examines whether individuals return favors when they receive an initial favor in an interviewer-administrated street survey solicitation setting. In the favor condition, a confederate offers a piece of candy to the participants walking in the street and then asks them to participate in a survey. In the no-favor condition, participants don't receive a piece of candy, but are only solicited for the survey. Results show that a favor compared to no favor is associated with greater compliance with the request.