Pat smokes cigarettes and strongly believes that doing so is bad for one's health. On a health questionnaire, Pat initially answered "No" to the question, "Do you engage in any health-harming behaviours?" Pat felt uncomfortable with that answer and changed it to "Yes." Of the alternatives below, Pat's answer-changing behaviour best reflects the notion of
A)counterattitudinal behaviour
B)cognitive dissonance
C)self-perception theory
D)self-serving biases

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pat's behavior of changing the answer reflects cognitive dissonance, which occurs when there is a conflict between one's actions and beliefs. In this case, Pat smokes (an action) but believes it is bad for health (a belief), leading to discomfort and a change in behavior to reduce the dissonance.

Pat Smokes Cigarettes and Strongly Believes That Doing So Is