9. Dissonance

Question 1

Define dissonance

Answer 1

An unpleasant internal state that results when people notice inconsistencies between their:

• attitudes
• beliefs
• behaviours

Question 2

Name the causes of dissonance

Answer 2

• 2 Dissonant attitudes (e.g. pro environemnt but also pro plane travel to NZ)
• appetence- appetence conflict (e.g. can afford only one of two psychology books)
• attitude-discrepant behaviour (e.g. smoking and health attitudes)

Question 3

Name an example situation, running through the focal cognition, the dissonant cognition and the consonant cognition.

Answer 3

Focal: I smoke
Dissonant: smoking causes cancer
Consonant: smoking relaxes me

Question 4

How to people reduce dissonance?

Answer 4

• attitude/bheaviour change
• adding new consonant information/focus on consonant information
• downplaying/trivializing the dissonant cognition
• indirect: distraction

Question 5

Dissonance theory explains…

Answer 5

• post-decision dissonance
• effort justification effects
• effects of induced compliance (less-leads-to-more effect)
• overjustification effect

Question 6

When does post-decision dissonance occur?

Answer 6

• choosing between several alternatives

- implies rejecting one or more of them

Question 7

What induces post-decision dissonance?

Answer 7

• positive features of the rejected alternatives

- negative features of the accepted

Question 8

BREHM (1956)

Answer 8

“Consumer Testing”

Question 9

Factors affecting Post-Decision Dissonance (PDD)

Answer 9

• importance of decision (high expense in terms of money/time)
• similarity (relative attractiveness, actual similarity)
• certainty of decision (is it irrevokable)

Question 10

What is Effort Justification?

Answer 10

The state of dissonance after large effort expenditure, the results of which we aren’t satisfied with

Question 11

Reduction of Effort Justification

Answer 11

• downplaying the effort

- convincing ourselves we like what we achieved

Question 12

ARONSON & MILLS (1959)

Answer 12

• Sexual discussion group
• membership contingent on “screening test” either mild or severe initiation
• after listening in for one week
• dull discussion
• asked to rate the other participants
  RESULTS:
  -the more severe the initiation, the higher the group was rated

Question 13

What is induced compliance?

Answer 13

Inducing people to behave in a way that is inconsistent with their attitudes
i.e. to engage in counter-attitudinal behaviour

Question 14

When might induced compliance NOT result in a state of dissonance?

Answer 14

When external justification is involved e.g. reward money

Question 15

Less leads to more

Answer 15

Via self-persuasion
- a long-lasting form of attitude change that results from attempts at self-justification

large reward -> external justification (I do this because I have to) -> temporary change
small reward/ no reward -> internal justification (I do this beacuase it is right) -> lasting change

Question 16

FREEDMAN 1965

Answer 16

The Power of Mild Punishment

• children rate the attractiveness of toys
• one of the most attractive toys is then declared as “forbidden”
• children were threatened with either mild or severe punishment if they played with the toy
• when left alone, the most children who ended up playing with the toy had been warned with a severe punishment
• the mild punishment was more effective

Question 17

Moderating Factors

Answer 17

• free choice (counter-attitudinal behaviour must be freely chosen)
• commitment (reduced effects for revocable decisions)
• negative consequences
• personal responsibility

Question 18

What kinds of methods of dissonance reduction are there?

Answer 18

— change of behavior
— downplaying the importance/danger
— Focus on consonant information 
— change of perspective
— distraction