![]() Participants in the high-dissonance condition chose between a highly desirable product and one rated just 1 point lower on the 8-point scale. Individuals in the low-dissonance group chose between a desirable product and one rated 3 points lower on an 8-point Because these participants did not make a decision, they did not have any dissonance to reduce. Participants in the control group were simply given one of the products. The products included an automatic coffee maker, an electric sandwich grill, an automatic toaster, and a portable radio. The women then rated the desirability of eight household products that ranged in price from $15 to $30. Participants were also told that they would receive one of the products at the end of the experiment to compensate for their time and effort. MethodFemale participants were informed they would be helping out in a study funded by several manufacturers. The rub is that making a decision cuts off the possibility that you can enjoy the advantages of the unchosen alternative, yet it assures you that you must accept the disadvantages of the chosen alternative.īrehm (1956) was the first to investigate the relationship between dissonance and decision-making. If you took the job you would miss your loved ones if you turned the job down, you would pine for the beautiful streams, mountains, and valleys.īoth alternatives have their good points and bad points. Either way, you would experience dissonance. Life is filled with decisions, and decisions (as a general rule) arouse dissonance.įor example, suppose you had to decide whether to accept a job in an absolutely beautiful area of the country, or turn down the job so you could be near your friends and family. Being paid $20 provides a reason for turning pegs, and there is therefore no dissonance. They could only overcome that dissonance by coming to believe that the tasks really were interesting and enjoyable. ResultsWhen the participants were asked to evaluate the experiment, the participants who were paid only $1 rated the tedious task as more fun and enjoyable than the participants who were paid $20 to lie.ĬonclusionBeing paid only $1 is not sufficient incentive for lying and so those who were paid $1 experienced dissonance. We will look at the main findings to have emerged from each area. The theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely researched in a number of situations to develop the basic idea in more detail, and various factors that have been identified which may be important in attitude change. Notice that dissonance theory does not state that these modes of dissonance reduction will actually work, only that individuals who are in a state of cognitive dissonance will take steps to reduce the extent of their dissonance. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance. ![]() This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency. While fringe members were more inclined to recognize that they had made fools of themselves and to "put it down to experience," committed members were more likely to re-interpret the evidence to show that they were right all along (the earth was not destroyed because of the faithfulness of the cult members).įestinger's (1957) cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony (or dissonance). Who came up with cognitive dissonance theory?Ĭognitive dissonance was first investigated by Leon Festinger, arising out of a participant observation study of a cult which believed that the earth was going to be destroyed by a flood, and what happened to its members - particularly the really committed ones who had given up their homes and jobs to work for the cult - when the flood did not happen.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |