Cognitive Dissonance Processes Flashcards
What do theories of cognitive consistency show?
That beliefs, attitudes, values, mental representations are mutually interdependent parts of a system that tends towards a state of harmony, balance or consonance
What is the balance theory?
Heider - We like others who share the same attitudes that we do - one way of achieving balance is through attitude change - we like others who share the same views as us, process of attitude change
tensions in systems drive towards balance, when trying to achieve this, get an attitude change
What is cognitive dissonance theory?
Festinger - based on the idea that when cognitive elements do not fit together, they stand in a dissonant relationship. Dissonance leads to pressures to reduce it or eliminate it
two of ones cognitions conflict - causing dissonance - one of the conditions is awareness of ones behaviour
What is dissonance?
An aversive feeling
What are the options for dissonance reduction?
Change attitude (belief)
Change behaviour
Add consonant elements
Forced compliance study - Festinger and Carlsmith
71 male students take part in a study, carry out dull tasks for an hour. Asked to tell next new pets that they will really enjoy the task. Either paid $1 or $20 to do this. Later asked how much they actually enjoyed it
Results - those paid $1 rated the task a lot more enjoyable
a small lie for 20 is okay so get no dissonance or attitude change whereas a small lie for $1 is not, doesn’t justify it, in a state of dissonance so change attitude and say they enjoyed it
Criticisms of the forced compliance study
Deceit
increased suspicion in the $20 condition
Grasshopper experiment - Zimbardo, Weisenberg, Fireston and Levy
Experimenter attractiveness manipulated, ppts induced to eat grasshoppers. Dissonance supposedly created when the experimenter was unattractive. Among compliant ppts 50%, those in the unattractive experimenter condition were more in favour of using grasshopper as food - because they have been induced by someone less attractive, so in a state of dissonance - complied but don’t know why so said they were more in favour
Effort justification - Aronson and Mills
Female ppts show up because they have been asked to join a discussion group. in order to join the group, must pass a screening test. either control group, read a mild initiation para or severe initiation. then asked how much they enjoyed the task
Results: if severe ignition, enjoyed the task a lot more
Conclusions: if people put themes through a lot to get through, they are in a state of dissonance, resolve it by rating it higher. Love things we suffer for
What is important in this theory?
Freedom of choice over actions they take, if not forced, more dissonant
Commitment to a dissonant element (means less likely to change)
Aversive consequences
Personal responsibility - have to take it
What are the alternative explanations?
Self concept involvement - dissonance arises when there is a threat to the self-concept, if it exists, it is because the behaviour is inconsistent with self-concept
Impression management - maybe attitudes haven’t changed, but they say they enjoyed the task to match what they have said - behaviour consistent
Self-perception theory - maybe people are observing their own behaviour and inferring their attitudes from their behaviour - in the forced compliance study, they reported positive attitude so they made an inference that the task was enjoyable
Does dissonance lead to arousal?
71 ppts, study on memory processes. Memory task - given capsule/water and info about side effects (relaxation/tension) and filler task (write an essay favouring the banning of people) while waiting for the next memory task. DV - reported tension and attitudes towards banning speakers from campus
Choice manipulation - high choice/dissonance - leave it up to you if you want to participate
Low choice/dissonance - during the wait, you have to do a small task
Results: when told no side effects in high choice condition, report higher tension, more tension if there is more dissonance
low choice - don’t feel so dissonant as they had to do it
attitudes towards banning speakers: high choice, more positive towards banning speakers, so more attitude change in the group to reduce the tension
What are the alternative perspectives about inconsistency?
It could be an individual difference measure of preference for consistency - cultural differences in the value we place of it
we tolerate it most the time, but it is the criticisms of inconsistency, which leads to change
Does hypocrisy lead to dissonance? Background
Lots of HIV related deaths in the US - authors keen to promote condom use
1. most students believe they should use them
2. most do not always behave according to this believe
authors attempt to induce hypocrisy by getting ppts to make a public commitment about using condoms and making ppts mindful of occasions when they have failed to use them
Does hypocrisy lead to dissonance? Method
72 ppts
2 (commitment vs no commitment) X 2 (mindfulness vs unmindful) design
Commitment: involvement in making a videotape to show to high school students
Mindfulness: list past failures to use condoms
DV - purchase of condoms, intentions to use
