Cognitive dissonance theory is a well-cited social psychological theory. Describe, in detail, what this theory purports, and give an example of a situation in which cognitive dissonance may result.
What will be an ideal response?
Ans: • The cognitive dissonance theory purports that humans are motivated to maintain consistency among their cognitions. Cognitive dissonance refers to the discomfort that arises when two cognitions are psychologically inconsistent with one another (for example, when one’s actions and one’s attitudes do not match). As a result of the discomfort that arises, Festinger proposed that people try to reduce the dissonance experienced in the easiest way possible. An example of a situation that could lead to dissonance is the following:
• Gary works for the Humane Society for Animals and considers himself to be an animal lover. On his way home from work after a long and exhaustive day, he kicked a cat that got in his way. In this situation, his attitude as an animal lover doesn’t match up with his behavior of kicking an innocent animal. As a result, Gary is expected to experience discomfort over his actions and try to reduce the discomfort by either changing his attitude, justifying his behavior, or blaming the occurrence on the cat.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Difficulty Level: Easy
You might also like to view...
Research indicates that fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is now the primary preventable cause of intellectual impairment.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
Which of the following is a side effect of opiate drug use?
a. kidney damage b. liver damage c. stroke d. constipation e. acne
Methods that help encode and recall information through associations and images are called:
a. storage cues c. semantic cues b. proactive devices d. mnemonics
Recent research has found that 5-year-old children with imaginary friends, as opposed to children without,
a. have more real friends. c. tell more detailed stories. b. have fewer real friends. d. tell less detailed stories.