Justification Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is cognitive dissonance?
The discomfort that is caused when two cognitions conflict or when behavior conflicts with our attitudes
What are the three main ways we reduce dissonance
1) Changing behaviour
2) Changing attitudes
3) Adding new cognitions that can justify those beliefs (excuses)
What is a way of reducing discomfort that is not part of the three main ways
Self affirmation
What is self affirmation
Boosting self esteem through compliments of unrelated qualities: I may smoke but I am very kind to people
Why is self affiramtion different from the three main ways of reducing discomfort
Because the three ways deal with the threat at hand while self affirmation is for unrelated reasons that target the ego.
Why do we overestimate the pain of disappointment
Because dissonance reduction is usually unconcious
What is impact bias
WHen people overestimate the intensity and duration of their negative emotional reactions
How will people predict for example their feelings over the breakup with their boyfriend
Overestimate the length and intensity of their negative emotions due to impact bias but then their unconsious work of reducing dissonance will actually make them feel better faster
When is dissonance the most painful
When it is about the self: the self concept and self esteem is threatened or something that violates our view of the self
Do people with higher or lower self esteem feel greaterr dissonance
Higher self esteem people especially if it is about that thing that they think highly of
Do pyschopaths feel dissonance
Nah not that much when they something immoral
Experiment that shows the connection between self esteem level and dissonant actions
Students who were given a personality test ad given feedback:
a) Self esteem boost b) Self esteem knock down
c) no feedback
Then they had to play a cards game where they had the opporutnity to cheat: boosting self esteeming less likely to cheat, and lowering self esteem increased likelihood to cheat
“Please don’t be a cheater” vs “Please don’t cheat”
People who were told please dont be a cheater had their self concept of not being a cheater invoked so they were less likely to cheat than people who were invoked with the action of cheating
Can self affirmation backfire?
Yes because if the statements are not true and the peopel were forced tomake those statements about themselves (because they have low self esteem to begin with), they perform poorly. Also when people with low self esteem is given exaggerated praises, then they are also discouraged to do more
How can self affirmation be useful in elevating self esteem?
Must be grounded in reality and the person has to focus on their actual strength and strive to make them consonant with their action
What is post decision dissonance
Dissonance aroused after making a decision, typically reduced by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative and devaluating the rejected alternative
Experiment that shows postdecision dissonance and people reducing that dissonance
Asked people to rate the attractiveness of different appliances in the store, then they were asked to choose between two appliances that she rated equally, then she was asked to rerate all the appliances again and the one she chose she rated higher than before and the one she didnt choose as lower
What affects the degree of post decision dissonance
Permanence of the decision
What is an experiment with the post decision dissonance and permanence
Asking people who were going to bet on horses and people who have just placed their bets already. Clearly people who have already places their bets sais that their horse has much better chances of winning ANother more famous one is the photgraphy class one where people can either choose one photo or choose one photo that can be changed later
What is lowballing
A sales strateegy where people make customers agree to a sale and then change the conditions and so the customer will agree to buying the inflated price because it feels final already
Why does lowballing work
1) There is sense of commitment to the purchase already
2) Feeling of commitment triggered the anticipation of an event
3) Final price is higher but people convince themselves that it is probably slightly higher than other dealer so why not
Summary: illusion of irrevocability
What happens when you make a big decision about an immoral thing? (hint: cheating pyramid)
So basically if you do the bad thing, you can change your beliefs to reduce dissonance, but if you decide not to do the sthing, you can still change belief but actually feel even more strongly against it
Are there any neurological changes in the brain when there is dissonance?
Yes using fMRI can see in the striatum and other areas in the prefrontal cortex
Are there differences in dissonance across cultures
Everyone experiences dissoance but the contents are different for example in collectivist culture they can experience dissonance when their behaviour shames or dissapoints others (not just themselves) and that there is international and intergenerational causes of dissonance
