chapter 6 Flashcards
Heaven’s Gate Cult
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
As humans, we strive to maintain
a favorable view
of ourselves
When confronted with unfavorable view of self
Experience discomfort
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
Three Ways to Reduce Dissonance
- Change behavior
- Justify behavior by changing one of the
dissonant cognitions - Justify behavior by adding new cognitions
Self-Affirmation
- Bolster the self-concept
2.Reducing dissonance by adding a cognition about
other positive attributes
EX. Not very smart of me to be smoking, but, I’m really a very good
mathematician
Impact Bias
The tendency to overestimate the intensity and
duration of our emotional reactions to future
negative events.
When we think about the future
we overestimate
how bad negative events, like the end of a
romantic relationship, will make us feel. What we
fail to recognize is that dissonance reduction often
helps us back bounce quickly.
Why does impact bias occur?
because Process of reducing dissonance is largely unconscious
Dissonance most painful when
one of the
cognitions is about the self
Particularly true for those with high self-esteem
Temporary blows to self-esteem can lead to
greater behaviors consistent with low opinion of the self (e.g., cheat)
Every time we make a decision, we experience
dissonance
– Chosen alternative has some negative aspects
– Rejected alternative has some positive aspects
Postdecision Dissonance
Dissonance aroused
after making a decision, typically reduced by
enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen
alternative and devaluating the rejected
alternatives
More important decisions =
Greater permanence =
More dissonance
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, customer usually pays the new 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
Implications for self-esteem
Moral dilemmas
Dissonance reduction
People may behave either more ethically or less
ethically in the future
Mills (1958) Measured 6th graders’ attitudes about
cheating
Gave opportunity to cheat in a game
– Easy to cheat
– Cheating almost necessary to win
– Believed cheating could not be detected
• Cheaters
– Became more lenient toward cheating
• Noncheaters
– Became less lenient toward cheating
Process of dissonance reduction
Culturally universal
Content of dissonance reduction
Cultural differences
What thoughts are added, changed differ by culture
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
Insufficient Punishment
The dissonance aroused when individuals lack
sufficient external justification for having resisted a
desired activity or object, usually resulting in
individuals’ devaluing the forbidden activity or object
When external justification for resisting an object
or activity is insufficient
– Dissonance is aroused
– Reduce dissonance by Self-persuasion
Self-Persuasion
A long-lasting form of attitude change that results from
attempts at self-justification
Induce hypocrisy
Make person aware of conflict between
Attitudes
Behavior
Hypocrisy creates
dissonance
The Hypocrisy Paradigm
Induce hypocrisy
Dissonance theory predicts
that when we
dislike someone, if we do them a favor, we
will like them more
when Behavior is dissonant with attitude
Change attitude about person to resolve dissonance
Cruel behavior is dissonant with view of self as a
decent human being
Resolve dissonance by changing thoughts about victim
Understanding cognitive dissonance allows
one to understand some extreme behaviors
Dissonance-reducing behavior maintains
self-esteem But must also learn from mistakes and
incorrect beliefs
Overcoming Dissonance
• Acknowledging mistakes and taking responsibility
is easier said than done
• Process of self-justification is unconscious, but
once we know we can justify our actions, we can
monitor our thinking and behavior
Self-Justification
– Justification of Effort
Insufficient and sufficient external justification
