Cognitive Dissonance (Ch.6) Flashcards
Cognitive Dissonance
discomfort caused by dissonance between one’s beliefs and actions
Dissonance
discrepancy between one’s beliefs and behaviors
Dissonance Reduction
exertion of mental effort in order to maintain positive self-image
Dissonance Reduction Method A
a change in behavior to match beliefs
Dissonance Reduction Method B
justify behavior by changing beliefs to match actions
Cognitions
beliefs
Behaviors
actions
Dissonance Reduction Method C
create brand new belief that validates behavior
Self-Affirmation
a type of new cognition, changes focus to a positive quality rather than negative
Impact Bias
overestimation of one’s reaction/result of not accounting for dissonance reduction
Decision-Making
common source of dissonance, choices present a threat to self-image as a good decision maker
Postdecision Dissonance
the retroactive thought that the wrong choice was made, creating dissonance surrounding self-image as a good decision maker
Decision Dissonance Reduction
begins after a given decision is made final, justifying the option selected
Repeating Poor Choice
dissonance reduction can contribute to repeating bad decisions, as justification used for the bad choice will already exist
Justification of Effort
tend to increase our favor for things which were more difficult to obtain than others
External Justification
when satisfactory external rewards/benefits for a certain action are presented, dissonance is less likely, as justification for behavior is already available
Lack of External Justification
not having enough external justification for behavior creates a need for internal justification/dissonance reduction
Internal Justification
the internalized use of dissonance reduction methods, major impact on beliefs and behaviors
Counterattitudinal Advocacy
publicly supporting something counter to one’s beliefs, sometimes causing cognitive dissonance
Effective Punishment
some studies show mild punishment as more effective, creating need for greater internal justification of bad behavior
Self-Persuasion
result of creating internal justifications, much more impactful than temporary external justifications/deterrents
Hipocracy Induction
making ppl see hipocracy between their words and actions, creates need for dissonance reduction
Justifying Good Deeds
justify doing a favor for someone by establishing belief that we like them
Justifying Harmful Acts
justify harmful acts towards others by establishing belief that we dislike them
Learning from Mistakes
dissonance reduction is counter productive when applied to justify bad behavior, creating negative beliefs.
Lowballing
sales strategy in which the seller agrees to a certain price with the buyer, then raising it after the buyer agrees
Why Lowballing Works
after agreeing to buy something, the seller has already begun justifying the purchase, making them less inclined to back out
Leon Festinger
founder of cognitive dissonance theory, conducted studies showing people’s discomfort when holding conflicting beliefs, leading them to adjust their attitudes or beliefs
Elliot Aronson
extended Festinger’s theory, showing that cognitive dissonance is most intense when the person’s self-concept or esteem is threatened, highlighting dissonance in identity
Merrill Carlsmith & Festinger
conducted the $1/$20 experiment on insufficient justification, where participants who were paid less to lie (insufficient justification) felt more dissonance and changed their attitudes more significantly
Illusion of Irrevocability
getting the benefits of dissonance reduction without behavior being permanent ex. lowballing
Cialdini (1966)
low-ball experiment, offer attractive proposition to gain compliance, then revealing costs/downsides after subject agreed to the request, 53% of low-balled subjects agreed vs 24% in control group
Decision Permanence
irrevocable/permanent decisions present strong motivation to reduce dissonance; rule out change of behavior as method of dissonance reduction
Dissonance Reduction Method D
trivialize the dissonance
(very ineffective)
Trivializing Dissonance
act of convincing self the congnitive dissonance being experienced is insignificant, largely ineffective dissonance reducer
