Social Psychology Exam 2 - How Behavior Changes Attitudes

Cognitive Dissonance

A psychological state of discomfort that occurs when an individual holds conflicting cognitions, such as when behavior contradicts attitudes

How do people reduce cognitive dissonance?

By changing their attitudes to align with their behavior, especially when external justification is insufficient

What was the main finding of the boring knob-turning task experiment?

Participants paid only $1 to lie showed more attitude change than those paid $20, as they had insufficient external justification and had to internally justify their behavior

Counterattitudinal Advocacy

The act of voluntarily arguing for a position contrary to one's existing attitude, often leading to attitude change due to cognitive dissonance

Post-Decisional Dissonance

The phenomenon where individuals justify their decisions by upgrading the chosen option and downgrading the rejected one

What did Aronson & Mills find about effort justification?

People who underwent a severe initiation rated a dull discussion more positively, as they needed to justify the effort they put in

How does self-perception theory explain attitude change?

People infer their attitudes by observing their own behavior, without experiencing cognitive dissonance

Why is mild punishment more effective in changing behavior than severe punishment?

Mild punishment leads to self-justification ("I don't want to do it"), while severe punishment makes people attribute their behavior to the external threat

How does self-affirmation theory explain attitude change?

When attitude-behavior inconsistency threatens self-esteem, people may change their attitude or affirm their competence in another domain to reduce discomfort

What did Steele et al. (1986) find about self-affirmation and decision-making?

Science majors who wore a lab coat while choosing between albums showed less attitude change, as the lab coat affirmed their self-concept