Participants in a study freely engage in a behaviour that is contrary to their attitudes. This behaviour causes an increase in physiological arousal, but the experimenter tells the participants that this arousal is the product of a placebo pill they have taken. Under these conditions, we would not expect the participants to change their attitudes to be more in line with their behaviour, a finding that is most consistent with ______________ theory.
A)The theory of planned behaviour
B)Social identity theory
C)Self-justification
D)Cognitive dissonance

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario is most consistent with cognitive dissonance theory, which suggests that when individuals experience inconsistency between their attitudes and behaviors, it leads to discomfort (dissonance), motivating them to change their attitudes or behaviors to reduce this discomfort. However, in this case, because the participants attribute their physiological arousal to the placebo pill rather than their conflicting attitudes and behaviors, they are less likely to experience cognitive dissonance and thus less likely to change their attitudes to align with their behavior.

Participants in a Study Freely Engage in a Behaviour That