Chapter 6 Flashcards
Heaven’s Gate Cult (1 of 2)
Believed that a space ship was coming to transport them
Needed to rid selves of “current containers” (own body)
Spaceship failed to appear behind Hale-Bopp Comet
Continued with plan anyway
Mass suicide
What is the process by which intelligent, sane people can succumb to such fantastic thinking and self-destructive behavior?
Cognitive dissonance:
Discomfort that people feel when two cognitions (beliefs, attitudes) conflict, or when they behave in ways that are inconsistent with their conception of themselves
When Cognitions Conflict
Important and provocative social psychological theory
Threats to self-image
Induces powerful, upsetting dissonance
Three Ways to Reduce Dissonance
Change behavior
Justify behavior by changing one of the dissonant cognitions
Justify behavior by adding new cognitions
Teen Cognitions for Smoking
Teenagers who smoke usually justify their actions with such cognitions as “Smoking is cool”; “I want to be like my friends”; “In movies, everyone smokes”; “I’m healthy, nothing is going to happen to me”; or “Adults are always on my back about stuff I do.”
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
Every time we make a decision, we experience dissonance.
Chosen alternative has some negative aspects
Rejected alternative has some positive aspects
The College Decision
Life is full of tough choices, like where to attend college. Once we make a decision, we often inflate the importance of positive aspects of our choice (i.e., the college we selected) and minimize the positive aspects of the other alternatives (i.e., the colleges we didn’t select).
Distorting Our Likes and Dislikes
(1 of 2)
Distort likes and dislikes
Downplay
Negative aspects of chosen alternative
Positive aspects of rejected alternative
Postdecision dissonance
Dissonance aroused after making a decision, typically reduced by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative and devaluating the rejected alternatives
The Permanence of the Decision
More important decisions = more dissonance
Greater permanence = more dissonance
Permanence of decision
How difficult it is to revoke
Buying a New Car: What Postdecision Effect?
All sales are final. When will these customers be happier with their new car: ten minutes before the purchase or ten minutes after?
Creating the Illusion of Irrevocability
(1 of 2)
When decisions are permanent (irrevocable)
Dissonance increases
Motivation to reduce dissonance increases
Lowballing:
Salesperson induces a customer to agree to purchase a product at a very low cost, subsequently claims it was an error, and then raises the price.
Frequently, the customer will agree to make the purchase at the inflated price.
Three Reasons Lowballing Works
- Sense of commitment
- Sense of commitment triggers the anticipation of an exciting event
- Price only slightly higher than other prices elsewhere
Justification of effort:
The tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain
External justification:
A reason or an explanation for dissonant personal behavior that resides outside the individual (e.g., to receive a large reward or avoid a severe punishment)
Internal justification:
The reduction of dissonance by changing something about oneself (e.g., one’s attitude or behavior)
Counterattitudinal Advocacy
Stating an opinion or attitude that runs counter to one’s private belief or attitude
Justifying Good Deeds and Harmful Acts
Dissonance theory predicts that when we
dislike someone, if we do them a favor, we
will like them more.
Behavior is dissonant with attitude
Change attitude about person to resolve dissonance
“The Ben Franklin effect”
The Ben Franklin Effect
Without realizing it, Ben Franklin may have been the first dissonance theorist.
