Hoofdstuk 6 Flashcards
What is cognitive dissonance, and what are its core elements?
Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting beliefs or engaging in actions that contradict one’s beliefs. It involves consonant, dissonant, and irrelevant relationships between elements, with dissonance leading to discomfort.
How does cognitive dissonance motivate change?
Discomfort caused by cognitive dissonance motivates people to take steps to reduce it, either by changing their beliefs or engaging in new behaviors that restore balance or consistency.
How does cognitive dissonance relate to communication behavior
Cognitive dissonance can motivate communication behavior, as people may seek to persuade others or engage in self-persuasion to reduce their dissonant cognitions, often through conversations and persuasive strategies.
What are the assumptions of Cognitive Dissonance Theory?
The assumptions are that humans desire consistency in beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors; dissonance is created by psychological inconsistencies; dissonance is an aversive state with measurable effects; and dissonance motivates efforts to achieve consonance and dissonance reduction.
What factors influence the magnitude of dissonance?
The magnitude of dissonance is influenced by the importance of the issue, the dissonance ratio (amount of dissonant cognitions relative to consonant ones), and the rationale or reasoning employed to explain inconsistencies.
What are the four perceptual processes related to cognitive dissonance?
The four perceptual processes are selective exposure, selective attention, selective interpretation, and selective retention, which involve seeking, attending to, interpreting, and remembering information consistent with one’s attitudes and beliefs.
What is buyer’s remorse and how can dissonance be reduced in this situation?
Buyer’s remorse refers to the dissonance people feel after making a large purchase. Providing information about the wisdom of their decision can reduce the dissonance.
How did the doomsday cult reconcile the dissonance they experienced after their prediction failed?
The cult members were so committed to their beliefs that they found ways to reconcile the dissonance, maintaining their faith despite the failed prediction.
What are some critiques of Cognitive Dissonance Theory?
Critiques include the possibility that dissonance may not be the most important concept for attitude change, the theory’s conceptual fuzziness, and the confounding of dissonance with self-concept or impression management.
What is self-affirmation theory and how does it relate to dissonance?
Self-affirmation theory suggests dissonance results from behaving in a manner that threatens one’s sense of moral integrity. It offers an alternative explanation for the discomfort people experience due to inconsistency.
What are some limitations of Cognitive Dissonance Theory’s utility?
Some limitations of the utility of Cognitive Dissonance Theory include its lack of predictive power for specific behaviors, its reliance on subjective perceptions of inconsistency, and its limited attention to individual differences in cognitive dissonance processing.
