Flashcards in Final Deck (219)
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1
Maintaining a Stable, Positive Self-Image
• As humans, we strive to maintain a favorable view of ourselves
• When confronted with unfavorable view of self
• Experience discomfort
2
Three Ways to Reduce Dissonance
1. Change behavior
2. Justify behavior by changing one of the dissonant
cognitions
3. Justify behavior by adding new cognition
3
Self-Affirmation
• Bolster the self-concept
• Reducing dissonance by adding a cognition about other positive attributes
• e.g., smoker who fails to quit • Not very smart of me to be smoking, but, I’m
really a very good mathematician!
4
Impact Bias
The tendency to overestimate the intensity and duration of our emotional reactions to future
negative events.
• When we think about the future, we overestimate how bad negative events, like the end of a romantic relationship, will make us feel. What we fail to recognize is that dissonance reduction often helps
us bounce quickly.
• We overestimate the pain of disappointment because reducing dissonance is largely unconscious.
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Dissonance and the Self-Concept
• Dissonance is most painful when one of the cognitions is about the self
• Particularly true for those with high self-esteem
• Temporary blows to self-esteem can lead to greater behaviors consistent with low opinion of the self (e.g., cheat)
• People less likely to cheat when their self-concept of “not being a cheater” is invoked
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The Permanence of the Decision
• More important decisions = More dissonance
• Greater permanence = More dissonance
• Permanence of decision
• How difficult it is to revoke
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Creating the Illusion of Irrevocability
• When decisions are permanent (irrevocable) • Dissonance increases
• Motivation to reduce dissonance increases
8
Three Reasons Lowballing Works
1. Sense of commitment 2. Sense of commitment triggers the anticipation of
an exciting event
3. Price only slightly higher than other prices
elsewhere
9
The Decision to Behave Immorally
• Moral dilemmas
• Implications for self-esteem
• Dissonance reduction
• People may behave either more ethically or less ethically
in the future
Example: Cheating on a test
• Change behavior • Do not ever cheat again
• Future behavior—more ethical or vice versa (convince urself its not that bad after all = less ethical)
10
Justification of Effort
The tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain. (Sorority, army)
• Mild initiation or no effort: less liking of group
• Severe initiation: more liking of group
11
External Justification
• A reason or an explanation for dissonant personal behavior that resides outside the individual (e.g., to receive a large
reward or avoid a severe punishment)
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• Internal Justification
• The reduction of dissonance by changing something about
oneself (e.g., one’s attitude or behavior)
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Insufficient Punishment
• The dissonance aroused when individuals lack sufficient external justification for having resisted a desired activity
or object, usually resulting in individuals’ devaluing the
forbidden activity or object
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When external justification for resisting an object or activity is insufficient:
Dissonance is aroused
• Reduce dissonance by
• Self-persuasion
• e.g., devaluing forbidden activity or object
15
The Lasting Effects of Self-Persuasion
Results:
• Threat of severe punishment
• Forbidden toy remained highly attractive
• No change in attitude • Had sufficient external justification for resisting toy
• Threat of mild punishment
• Forbidden toy was rated as less attractive • External justification was insufficient • Resolved dissonance through internal justification
• Change attitude about toy
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Self-Persuasion
A long-lasting form of
attitude change that results from attempts at self-justification
17
The Hypocrisy Paradigm
Induce hypocrisy: Students composed a speech describing the dangers of AIS and advocating for the use of condoms. Then,
after being made aware of their own failure to use condoms, students were asked to make a video for high school students )
• Make person aware of conflict between
• Attitudes • Behavior
• Hypocrisy creates dissonance
• Reduce dissonance by changing behavior
• e.g., attitudes about condoms and use of condoms
18
C
Justifying Good Deeds and Harmful Acts
Dissonance theory predicts that when we
dislike someone, if we do them a favor, we will like them more
• Behavior is dissonant with attitude • Change attitude about person to resolve dissonance
• “The Ben Franklin Effect”
19
Dehumanizing the Enemy: Justifying Cruelty
• Cruel behavior is dissonant with view of self as
• Cruel behavior is dissonant with view of self as a decent human being
• Resolve dissonance by changing thoughts about victim
• Davis and Jones (1960)
• Participants told a young man (confederate) they thought he was
shallow, untrustworthy, boring.
• Participants later convinced themselves that they didn’t like the victim and that he deserved to be hurt
20
Yale Approach: Factors
According to this approach, attitude change/persuasion influenced by 3 factors:- Source – originator of communication (Attractive?
Message – features of communication itself one sided or 2? Fear?
Audience – characteristics of who is receiving the message
-Central route vs, Persuasion route
21
The ABC’s of Attitudes
Attitudes: evaluations of people, objects, or
ideas (attitude objects)
Affective: emotions towards attitude object
Behavioral: actions towards attitude object
Cognitive: thoughts about attitude object
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Sources of Attitudes
Information
Values
Mere exposure
Operant Conditioning
Self-Perception
Body Movement
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Function of Attitudes
Knowledge Function
Value Expression
Social Adjustment Function
Binge-Eating StudyBennington Study
Ego-Defensive Function
Anti-Semitism Example
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Attitude Accessibility
strength of
association b/w attitude object and person’s
evaluation of it (i.e., reporting speed)
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American culture
– Stresses the importance of not conforming – Celebrates the rugged individualist
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Conformity
– A change in one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of other people
27
Informational Social Influence
– Conform because:
§ See others as a source of information to guide our behavior.
§ Believe that others’ interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more correct than ours and will help us choose an appropriate course of action.
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Private Acceptance
• Conforming to other people’s behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying
is right
• Informational social influence often results in private acceptance!
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Public Compliance
Conforming to other people’s behavior publicly without necessarily believing in what we are doing
or saying
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