lecture 2 Flashcards
what is cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. People tend to seek consistency in their attitudes and perceptions, so this conflict causes unpleasant feelings of unease or discomfort
ex.) smoking is unhealthy + i smoke regularly = dissonance
how can dissonance be resolved?
- change one of the thoughts (cognitions 1 or 2, ex.) smoking isn’t bad)
- change the behaviour (i will stop smoking because it is bad for me)
- try trivializing the inconsistency (“sure it’s bad and i do it but i don’t care)
when is cognitive dissonance most likely to occur?
according to Leon Festinger (proposed cognitive dissonance)
after we make an important decision
what is effort justification
how people rationalize the value of a goal or outcome based on the effort they put into achieving it. derived from Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance,
people tend to increase the attractiveness of a goal or outcome if they made sacrifices or worked hard for it.
if you work hard for something and the outcome is underwhelming, you’ll probably experience dissonance
sex discussion group study - 1959
- participants (all women) signed up for experiment to join a discussion group about sex
- when they arrived, they were told not everyone is suitable so they had to go through a test first
- 3 conditions
(1) = Mild [read a list of mildly embarrassing words in front of a male experimenter - “prostitute, petting, virgin”]
(2) = Severe [read a list of obscene words from a passage describing sexual intercourse in front of a male experimenter]
(3) = no initation [control] - everyone passed and had to living to a recording of a very boring discussion about invertebrate sex
- found that participants in the severe initiation condition rate the discussion group most highly, reducing their dissonance
what is induced compliance
- forced
- when you make someone behave in a way that is contrary to their beliefs
early cognitive dissonance study
- participants completed very boring tasks (loading spoons onto trays and turning pegs on boards one at a time for an hour)
3 conditions
(1) control [completed task and rated it for enjoyment]
(2) experiment 1 = $20 [completed task, offered $20 to tell the next participant that it was fun and exciting, rated task for enjoyment]
(3) experiment 2 = $1 [completed task, offered $1 to tell the next participant that it was fun and exciting, rated task for enjoyment]
dissonance is most likely to motivate change when
you have the perception of choice
what are the 3 main areas of social influence
1.) conformity
2.) compliance
3) obedience
what is social influence?
when our thoughts, feelings, attitudes or behaviors are affected by other people
most likely when we’re uncertain about how to behave or uncertain about what is factually true
what is conformity
changing our beliefs/behaviours in response to implicit or explicit pressure from others (real or imagined)
what is compliance
responding favourably to an explicit request by another person (complying with a request)
what is obedience
requires an unequal power dynamic
you give in/submit/follow the demands of a person in authority
T/F it takes more energy to avoid conforming than to conform
false
what are the methods of conformity
1.) informational social influence [correct?]
2.) normative social influence [proper?]
3.) expressing valued social identities [effective?]
