8- Research Paradigm Flashcards
What 4 main research paradigms are used in dissonance research?
Free-choice, belief-disconfirmation, effort-justification, induced compliance
When is dissonance in the free-choice paradigm?
After a decision is made
What is dissonance in the belief-disconfirmation paradigm?
Consequences of being exposed to info contradicting prior beliefs
When do people experience dissonance in the effort-justification paradigm?
Dissonance experienced from effects of the effort to attain something
Why do we feel dissonance according to the induced compliance paradigm?
When engaging in behaviours inconsistent with attitudes
What is the free-choice paradigm based off of?
Dissonance is caused by a choice of 1 or 2 alternatives close in desirability and people are motivated to re-evaluate alternatives to reduce it
What is the effect of alternatives being closer in the free-choice paradigm?
Greater dissonance and attempts to reduce it
2 factors that post-decisional dissonance is due to (free-choice paradigm)
Rejected alternative + aspects that the chosen alternative doesn’t have: rejected positives of this
Chosen alternative - aspects that the rejected alternative doesn’t have: committed to negatives of this
What is post-decision re-consideration? (Free-choice paradigm)
Chosen alternative is viewed as more desirable post-decision and the unchosen alternative is viewed as less desirable
Who investigated the free-choice paradigm?
Brehm, 1956
What were Brehm’s results to support the free-choice paradigm?
People in the high dissonance condition spread items wider in terms of desirability, and they were found as more likely to increase the positives and decrease the negatives post-decision
What is involved in the belief-disconfirmation paradigm?
Providing disconfirming info to people that hold a certain belief
How does dissonance result according to the belief-disconfirmation paradigm?
From disconfirmation of someone’s beliefs
2 ways the belief-disconfirmation paradigm says dissonance may be reduced
- By adding consonant cognitions- may intensify the belief
- By changing beliefs in group members who were alone
When did Harmon-Jones et al find more cognitive dissonance?
For high Trump supporters who read an article about him misconducting himself
How did high Trump supporters cope with the dissonance they felt?
By increasing likelihood of sharing negative info about Hilary Clinton- emphasising wrongdoings of opponents
How did Batson investigate the belief-disconfirmation paradigm?
Participants who believed in Jesus’ divinity vs those who did not, and exposed them to an article stating that Jesus is a hoax
What did Batson find?
Personal beliefs intensified when evidence was seen disconfirming beliefs
What is the observation supporting the effort-justification paradigm?
People who go through effort to achieve something will value it more highly than those who attain it without effort
What do we tend to do if an outcome is not as rewarding as expected (effort-justification paradigm)?
Tend to overvalue the reward
What was Aronson and Mills’ hypothesis?
People who undergo an unpleasant initiation to join a group will like it more than those who didn’t go through a severe initiation
What was the rationale for Aronson and Mills’ hypothesis?
A group always has some negatives- we devalue these negative aspects when we put a lot of effort into joining a group
What 3 conditions were in Aronson and Mills’ study?
Severe initiation condition: read aloud embarrassing stories
Mild initiation condition: read aloud not very embarrassing stories
Control condition: no reading
After the initiation task, what did Aronson and Mills’ participants do?
Listened to a recorded group discussion designed to be uninteresting
What was the purpose of Aronson and Mills’ participants listening to a recording?
To increase the dissonance felt in the severe condition
What was measured in Aronson and Mills’ study?
Evaluative ratings of the discussion and the participants
What were the results of Aronson and Mills’ study?
Participants who experienced an unpleasant initiation to join the group increased their liking for the group
What was the explanation for Aronson and Mills’ results?
Negative cognitions about boring group discussion were dissonant with the cognition about painful experience to join the group
2 drives the reduce dissonance (effort justification paradigm)
Denial of initiation severity –> to unpleasant to be denied
Change attitude: exaggerate attractiveness of the group –> addition of consonant cognition
What did Axsom and Cooper investigate?
Effort justification in a weight loss program
What did participants do in Axsom and Cooper’s study?
Participants completed tasks (high effortful, low effortful, no task) unrelated to weight loss program
What were the results of Axsom and Cooper’s study?
High effort condition showed increased weight loss
What is effort-discounting?
More effort required to obtain a reward means a lower value of the reward
How did Botvinick et al study effort-discounting?
An fMRI study
What did Botvinick et al find and what did this suggest?
Less activity in the nucleus accumbens in a high effort condition- suggesting lower reward value
What is the main idea of the induced-compliance paradigm?
Effects of engaging in behaviors inconsistent to attitudes show an attitude change is important to reduce dissonance
What is the idea of Festinger and Carlsmith’s negative incentive effect?
There is a negative relationship between the amount of an incentive received and the amount of attitude change toward a counter-attitudinal behaviour
