CentralLimitTheorem › CentralTendency › ChiSquareTest › ChoosingStatisticalTests › ClipMacro › CognitiveDissonanceTheory
See  Cognitive_dissonance Leon_Festinger
 A headline, "prophecy from planet Clarion call to city: flee that flood" in a local newspaper, sating there is a book written by Marian Keech in Michigan state arguing that the world will end in a great flood dawn on December 21, 1954. She and her believer started to prepare for the end of the world - later the cult became scientology. They had left jobs, college, and spouses, and had given away money and possessions to prepare for their departure on the flying saucer, which was to rescue the group of true believers.
-Festinger and his colleague found that people didn't change their attitudes toward the beliefs even after the prophecy failed. . . .
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Make people quit smoking? (public health campaign)
How would you design the message (information) to persuade to quit smoking?
-- By addressing mortality problem, health problem, social stigma associated with smoking in order to change the person's behavior.
-- Will they stop?
-- If yes, people would not have started smoking in the first place . . . .
-- By addressing mortality problem, health problem, social stigma associated with smoking in order to change the person's behavior.
-- Will they stop?
-- If yes, people would not have started smoking in the first place . . . .
Cognitive Dissonance ¶
Boring experiment
This is the feeling people have when they "find themselves doing things that don't fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold" (Festinger, 1957, p.4).
Students were asked to spend an hour on boring and tedious tasks. The tasks were designed to generate a strong, negative attitude. After the experiment, the experimenters asked some of them to do a simple favor. They were asked to talk to another subject (actually an actor) and persuade them that the tasks were interesting and engaging. Some participants were paid $20 (inflation adjusted to 2009, this equates to $148.40) for this favor, another group was paid $1 (or $7.42 in "2009 dollars"), and a control group was not asked to perform the favor.
Those who got paid one dollar showed more positive attitudes toward the experiment -- It was interesting. . . .!
TheoryThose who got paid one dollar showed more positive attitudes toward the experiment -- It was interesting. . . .!
This is the feeling people have when they "find themselves doing things that don't fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold" (Festinger, 1957, p.4).
Process of Cognitive Dissonance
A state of dissonance = A state of disequilibrium
A state of consonance = A state of equilibrium
A state of consonance = A state of equilibrium
A new things (that are experienced by, input into an individual) may have three different relationship with the ones already in one's one:
- Consonant relationship :
Health and fitness are important vs. A behavior having work-outs five times a week
- Dissonant relationship :
No abortion in Catholic practice" vs. "Woman's right to have abortion
- Irrelevant relationship :
There should be no speed limit on the highway. vs. Fat people should not be discriminated.
Discomfort caused by dissonance motivates (opinion, behavior) change.
-> This is the point where persuasive communication occur.
-> Persuader focuses on inconsistency while providing new behavior that allow for consistency or balance.
-> This is the point where persuasive communication occur.
-> Persuader focuses on inconsistency while providing new behavior that allow for consistency or balance.
Belief It is important to give back to the community.
AttitudeI have been blessed with good fortune. People who have good fortune should share it with other. The only way the community will prosper is if we all do our share. I like to volunteer my time for the good of others.
BehaviorI tutor at the Literacy center twice a month.
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Assumptions ¶
- Human beings desire consistency in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
CDT suggests that human being has a such nature to make things consistent (in their mind). (Attribute based perspective)
- Dissonance is created by psychological inconsistencies.
Inconsistency should occur in one psychological state (rather than logical state)
- Dissonance is an aversive state that drives people to action with measurable effects.
People do not enjoy dissonance state; it is an uncomfortable state.
- Dissonance motivates efforts to achieve consonance and efforts toward dissonance reduction.
People do something in order to achieve consonant state.
Concepts ¶
Magnitude of dissonance
There are degrees of discomfort -- not all dissonance is created equally.
This magnitude are affected by three factors:
This magnitude are affected by three factors:
- Perceived importance : refers to how significant the issue is.
- Dissonance ratio : the amount of consonant cognitions relative to the dissonant ones. The proportion of incongruent idea.
- Ability to justify (rationalize) : If you have more ability to justify the in-congruency, you will get less discomfort.
- Perception :
- Selective exposure
- Selective attention
- Selective interpretation
- Selective hold of information
- Selective exposure
Persuasion ¶
Postdecision theory??? The state of consonance and dissonance arises after one's decision (of behavior).
Buyer's remorse:
Buyer's remorse:
- After spending more than you feel okay with on a new home, car, vacation, on a woman or some other luxury item, you have to rationalize your spending.
- Sellers and real estate agents make phone calls (and do other things) to convince (or provide) the buyers to think that the decision was excellent. Realtors encourage buyers to make a pro and con list -- then, lead them to put something like gourmet kitchen, Jacuzzi tub, breathtaking views, etc. This lead is an effort to let buyers reduce any dissonance that may occur.
- Advertising companies
- Diet industry make people think un-satisfied appearance or body images. People know that regular exercise would do body good. But, most of us don't exercise. We reduce the dis-comfort by purchasing diet products such as diet-coke.
- If you create too much dissonance, the buyers (people) may decide to avoid the information or even dislike you, instead of changing their behavior.
