Do you think Agnieszka will sign the petition? Justify

TASK

Background: Many factors may influence if we comply with a request from another person, whether it is to donate money to a charity or vote for a particular political party. This essay topic falls within the field of social psychology and after reading research findings on compliance and persuasion compliance (for example), you will discover the factors that predict whether we are likely to comply with a request from someone. 

Scenario: Agnieszka is a 22-year-old female who does not eat meat or animal products, only listens to hardcore punk music and is currently studying law at Macquarie University. While in Cooltown to visit a friend, Agnieszka is approached by Piotrek, a 70-year-old male, who eats meat everyday and only listens to classical music. Piotrek is standing outside Cooltown Station, collecting signatures for a petition to keep government funding for a local radio station that has a small audience and plays classical music. 

Before asking Agnieszka to sign the petition, Piotrek engages Agnieszka in a polite and very friendly conversation, starting with "Hello, how are you?" and asking what she’s doing in Cooltown today, where she was born and whether she’s working and/or studying at the moment. It is revealed in the conversation that: Agnieszka and Piotrek both love soccer (but are big fans of rival teams), were raised in very different environments (city vs country, respectively) and both have a very similar surname. 

Essay question: Based on the information presented in the scenario , do you think Agnieszka will sign the petition? In your response, list at least three reasons as to why you think Agnieszka will OR will not sign the petition and provide research findings as evidence to support each reason. Note that you must take a position, that is, state whether Agnieszka will, or will not, sign the petition. 

Note: The information provided above is more than sufficient to answer the essay question, so do not make any assumptions about the behaviors and/or thoughts of Agnieszka and/or Piotrek. 

Important information and things to include in your essay 

Clearly state your position (i.e., whether you agree or disagree with the question) and present a critical discussion of the research which supports your position. 

You have been provided with seven starter references to help you with your essay. You can choose to use as many or as few of the starter references as you would like. However, it is strongly recommended that you read the starter references first, before doing your own research. They will give you a good idea of the type of literature and research which is appropriate and relevant for your essay. You will find that some of the starter references have multiple studies within the one article. You do not need to discuss each study from a single article in depth, but instead you can pick one or two studies from the article which help illustrate your point.

Each of your arguments should be supported by at least one primary source from a peer-reviewed journal article. It is not enough to simply cite a study that supports your position. You should provide enough detail about the study so that the reader can understand how the study supports the argument you are making. This might include a brief summary of the method, findings, conclusion, strengths, and/or limitations/caveats. 

Incorporate at least one relevant theory into your essay, and highlight whether the research you present is consistent or inconsistent with that theory.