Psychology
Question 1
What differentiated the control group from the two experimental groups and the two experimental groups from each other?
The aim of the experiment is key to differentiating all the groups involved: groups A, B, and control. Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) were trying to identify the occurrence of cognitive dissonance in the experiment through the motivations of the groups, thereby proving the validity of their theory over the behaviorist and reinforcement approach. The main difference between all the groups is the motivation/level of dissonance experienced. The control group experienced no dissonance, as they were not required to lie about the experimental procedure nor offered monetary compensation; the other groups were, however, motivated to lie via monetary compensation. Groups A and B are further differentiated by their level of “induced dissonance” through the amount of monetary compensation offered to them: group A received $1, which is significantly less than the $20 offered to group B participants. Based on the premise of cognitive dissonance, group B is expected to experience less dissonance due to an increased or justifiable motivation (induced) for their attitude change. Group A, on the other hand, had a higher cognitive dissonance and experienced a greater attitude change to compensate for the inconsistency.
Question 2
What does dissonance do to a person, and what can they do the reduce it?
Cognitive dissonance being a state of confliction between a person’s belief and outward actions or expressions results in varying degrees of discomfort and uneasiness, depending on the degree of conflict within the person (Van Kampen, 2019. p. 7). The discomfort associated with cognitive dissonance is usually in form of anxiety, shame or guilt (Legg, 2019). Since a person can only tolerate an inconvenient cognitive state for a period, the conflicted person attempts to reduce their dissonance by equally reducing the conflict within them. This motivation to escape from the mental cage of cognitive dissonance is termed “the principle of cognitive consistency” (Van Kampen, 2019. pp. 1-2). Dissonance reduction is usually achieved through a change in behavior or attitude, especially towards the existing belief system,...
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