Cognitive Dissonance

Using the arguments made in Issue 5, discuss the influence that consonant and dissonant cognitions have on attitudes and behavior.

YES – Cognitive Consequences
of Forced Compliance Leon Festinger
and James M. Carlsmith

and

Daryl J. Bem NO
Self-Perception: An Alternative
Interpretation of Cognitive
Dissonance Phenomena1

Based on these two aguments, analyze the influence that consonant & dissonant cognitions have on attitudes and behavior.
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(a) Using the arguments made in Issue 5, discuss the influence that consonant and dissonant cognitions have on attitudes and behavior

Cognitive dissonance is the explanation provided for inconsistencies in attitudes, behaviors and/or beliefs. Festinger (1957 as cited in Mayer & Cody, 1968) defines cognitive dissonance as a state of psychological tension that motivates an individual to reduce inconsistencies and return to a more common state. Two studies are presented to explain how cognitive dissonance influence attitudes and beliefs, self-perception and forced compliance. An example of forced-compliance is a study by Festinger & Carlsmith (1959 as cited in). In the study, based on the forced-compliance theory, subjects would engage in tasks that would lead to him or her endorsing specific attitudes. The subjects were asked to do long, repetitive laboratory tasks. At the end of the tasks, the subjects were asked to tell a fellow student how interesting the tasks were.

Some subjects received a $1 to complete the tasks, while other subjects received $20. The group receiving the $1reported …