Task importance, feasibility, and agent influence behavior as determinants of target commitment.

Two content factors (issue importance and feasibility) were manipulated for agents in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment using a role-play exercise with 364 students in management courses. A path analysis provided support for the causal model, which specifies that agent perception of importance and feasibility affect the agent's influence behavior, which affects the target's perception of importance and feasibility, which affects the outcome of the influence attempt (target commitment to carry out the request). The study provides the first evidence that different forms of rational persuasion have independent effects and that target perception of issue importance and feasibility mediate the effect of agent influence behavior on target commitment.