Cognitive Dissonance
Theory
By: Michael Dickens, Nathaniel Kuhns, Courtney Sheets
Author: Leon Festinger

1957

Roots in Psychology

Cigarette conflict gave rise to theory
◦ “Coffin Nails”
Origins

Self-report

Objectivist

On a scale of 1 to 5 this theory would fall
under a 5.
Methodology & Epistemology

Cognitive= thought

Dissonance= conflict

“The distressing mental state caused by
inconsistency between a person’s two
beliefs or a belief and an action. (Griffin
8th ed., 2012)
Definition

Whenever we behave in a way that is
inconsistent a “fierce all consuming drive
state” enters your mind and forces you to
make a change in order to relieve that
state. (Eidenmuller, 2012)
Definition cont.

“A person’s conflicting thoughts or ideas
which directly cause changes in behavior
or attitudes associated with those
thoughts or ideas.” (Dickens, Kuhns, &
Sheets, 2013)
Definition cont.

One afternoon a fox was walking through the
forest and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging
from over a lofty branch.” Just the thing to
quench my thirst," quoth he. Taking a few
steps back, the fox jumped and just missed
the hanging grapes. Again the fox took a few
paces back and tried to reach them but still
failed. Finally, giving up, the fox turned up
his nose and said, "They're probably sour
anyway," and proceeded to walk away.
Fox and the Grapes

Selective Exposure – The tendency
people have to avoid information that
would create cognitive dissonance
because its incompatible with their
current beliefs.
Reduction of Dissonance

Post decision dissonance – strong
doubts experienced after making an
important, close-call decision that is
difficult to reverse. (This is a type of
dissonance, but it is suggestive of a
person who can predict their future
dissonance and thus changes their current
behavior.)
Reduction of Dissonance cont.

Minimal Justification – a claim that the
best way to stimulate an attitude change
in others is to offer just enough incentive
to elicit counterattitudinal behavior.
Reduction of Dissonance cont.
(Additional):
 Try to acquire new information that will
increase the harmony
 Change one or more beliefs associated
with the dissonance
 Reduce the importance that caused this
dissonance
Reduction of Dissonance cont.
A
• Attitude/ Behavior inconsistency
Linear Model (A)
B
• Dissonance Created
Linear Model (B)
C
• Attitude Change
Linear Model (C)
D
• Dissonance Reduced
Linear Model (D)
A
B
C
D
• Attitude/
Behavior
inconsistency
• Dissonance
Created
• Attitude
Change
• Dissonance
Reduced
Linear Model

Compliance

Counterattitudional Advocacy

Dissonance Thermoator
Concepts

Falsifiability

Measurable Data

Observe-ability

Self-Perception Theory
Criticism & Competing Theories
1. Which statement creates Cognitive Dissonance?
a)
b)
c)
d)
I want to sing, and I have the voice of an
angel.
I really need a band-aid, and there is one in my
pocket.
I have to have an orange, but I am allergic to
Vitamin C.
We want to go get a hamburger, and we have
just enough money to do so.
Questions
1. Which statement creates Cognitive Dissonance?
a)
b)
c)
d)
I want to sing, and I have the voice of an
angel.
I really need a band-aid, and there is one in my
pocket.
I have to have an orange, but I am allergic to
Vitamin C.
We want to go get a hamburger, and we have
just enough money to do so.
Questions
2. Out of these definitions, which is closest to the
definition provided by the book?
a)
b)
c)
d)
An uncomfortable feeling caused by holding
conflicting ideas simultaneously.
The distressing mental state caused by
inconsistency between a person’s two beliefs or
a belief and an action.
Two polar opposite mental feelings caused from
a behavior and an attitude.
A person’s conflicting thoughts or ideas which
directly cause changes in behavior or attitudes
associated with those thoughts or ideas.
Questions
2. Out of these definitions, which is closest to the
definition provided by the book?
a)
b)
c)
d)
An uncomfortable feeling caused by holding
conflicting ideas simultaneously.
The distressing mental state caused by
inconsistency between a person’s two beliefs or
a belief and an action.
Two polar opposite mental feelings caused from
a behavior and an attitude.
A person’s conflicting thoughts or ideas which
directly cause changes in behavior or attitudes
associated with those thoughts or ideas.
Questions
3. Which statement(s) would cause the least
amount of Cognitive Dissonance?
I want to hang out with Courtney, but she is in
Spain.
b) I need my phone, but it’s upstairs and I am
downstairs.
c) I have to make an ‘A’ on my test, but I didn’t
study very much
d) I want some water, but I am in the desert.
a)
Questions
3. Which statement(s) would cause the least
amount of Cognitive Dissonance?
I want to hang out with Courtney, but she is in
Spain.
b) I need my phone, but it’s upstairs and I am
downstairs.
c) I have to make an ‘A’ on my test, but I didn’t
study very much
d) I want some water, but I am in the desert.
a)
Questions
4. How many hypotheses are there in the
reduction of Cognitive Dissonance?
4
b) 1
c) 6
d) 3
a)
Questions
4. How many hypotheses are there in the
reduction of Cognitive Dissonance?
4
b) 1
c) 6
d) 3
a)
Questions
5. Which of the following is not a hypothesis of
reducing Cognitive Dissonance?
Expectancy Violation
b) Selective Exposure
c) Minimal Justification
d) Postdecision Dissonance
a)
Questions
5. Which of the following is not a hypothesis of
reducing Cognitive Dissonance?
Expectancy Violation
b) Selective Exposure
c) Minimal Justification
d) Postdecision Dissonance
a)
Questions
1._________ and _________ must be present to
have Cognitive Dissonance.
2. ________________ is the act of publicly urging
someone to believe or do something that is
________ to what the advocate actually believes.
3. ‘The tendency people have to avoid certain
information that would create Cognitive
Dissonance is known as _______________
Fill in the Blank
1. A Behavior and an attitude must be present to
have Cognitive Dissonance.
2.Counterattitudinal advocacy is the act of publicly
urging someone to believe or do something that is
opposed to what the advocate actually believes.
3. ‘The tendency people have to avoid certain
information that would create Cognitive
Dissonance is known as selective exposure
Fill in the Blank
4. The ________________ claims that we
determine our attitudes the same way outside
observers do.
5. ____________ Dissonance is when a person
has strong doubts after making an important or
close-call decision that is difficult to reverse.
Fill in the Blank
4. The Self-perception theory claims that we
determine our attitudes the same way outside
observers do.
5. Post decision dissonance is when a person has
strong doubts after making an important or closecall decision that is difficult to reverse.
Fill in the Blank
1. A woman has an abortion, but believes that
murder is a sin.
2. A child is starving on the streets with no where
to go, so he steals a loaf of bread from a gas
station.
3. A son tells his mom that she is beautiful after
she is injured in a fire, and the son truly believes
this.
4. A kid gets punched by a bully on the
playground, so the kid hit him back because that is
what he was taught.
Claims

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mdzxy-KaZE8/S68UYP6fP7I/AAAAAAAAAHE/DNU0i_6tJTg/s1600/leonfestinger-pic.jpg (Picture)

Aesop's fables. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.umass.edu/aesop/content.php?n=10&i=1
Sources