Question 1

According to the dissonance theory,managers,teachers,and parents should use _______ to elicit the desired behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the dissonance theory,managers,teachers,and parents should...

Question 2

If you are studying because you want to do well in a course and truly want to understand the material,you are more likely to want to study in the future as compared to those students who view studying as compulsory.Your situation is an example of how

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you are studying because you want...

Question 3

After spending a great deal of time researching vehicles,Linda makes a purchase.After having owned the vehicle for several months,she experiences dissonance and wonders if she made the right decision with her purchase.According to dissonance theory,we would expect Linda to reduce her dissonance by _______ the chosen vehicle and _______ the unchosen vehicles.

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory states that when someone experiences dissonance, they try to reduce it by changing their attitude or behavior. In this case, Linda is experiencing dissonance because she is questioning her decision to purchase the vehicle. To reduce this dissonance, Linda is likely to upgrade the chosen vehicle (by focusing on its positive qualities) and downgrade the unchosen vehicles (by focusing on their negative qualities). Therefore, the best choice is D: upgrading the chosen vehicle and downgrading the unchosen vehicles.

Question 4

Sarah has always strongly believed that it is wrong to steal,but after she steals a bottle of nail polish from the drug store,her attitude toward stealing becomes significantly less harsh.Which theory best accounts for her shift in attitude?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory explains how people's attitudes and behaviors may not align, which can create discomfort or dissonance. To reduce this discomfort, individuals may change their attitudes to match their behavior. In this scenario, Sarah's behavior of stealing conflicts with her belief that stealing is wrong. As a result, to reduce cognitive dissonance, Sarah may change her attitude and become less harsh on stealing.

Question 5

A research study had experimental participants perform a dull task but paid them to lie by telling a prospective participant that the task had been enjoyable.Results showed that the participants who were paid _______ came to believe that the task had been _______.

Accepted Answer

Since participants were paid, they were more likely to provide a positive endorsement of the task. As a result, they may have convinced themselves that the task was actually enjoyable despite the fact that it was dull. However, a small payment of $1 may not have been enough to significantly change their beliefs about the task. A larger payment of $20 may have been more effective in influencing their beliefs. Therefore, the best choice is B: participants who were paid $1 came to believe that the task had been interesting and enjoyable.

Question 6

You are fortunate to receive multiple job offers after graduating from college.You find the decision-making very difficult,but once you decide on an offer to accept,you notice yourself _______ the job offers that you did not accept.

Accepted Answer

Once a decision is made, people often engage in "post-decision dissonance reduction," where they downgrade the options they did not choose to feel more satisfied with their decision.

Question 7

The cognitive dissonance theory was formulated by

Accepted Answer

The cognitive dissonance theory was formulated by Leon Festinger.

Question 8

The insufficient justification effect involves reducing dissonance by _______ justifying one's behavior when _______ justification is insufficient.

Accepted Answer

The insufficient justification effect involves reducing dissonance by internally justifying one's behavior when external justification is insufficient. In other words, if one does something that contradicts their beliefs or values and receives little external justification for doing so, they will adjust their beliefs or values internally to reduce cognitive dissonance.

Question 9

Although you were opposed to the war with Iraq,your attitude changed when you were required to report on the justifications for it at your job as a newspaper journalist.Which theory best explains the change in your attitude?

Accepted Answer

The change in attitude is best explained by cognitive dissonance theory, which suggests that individuals experience psychological discomfort or dissonance when confronted with conflicting ideas or beliefs. In this case, the individual's opposition to the war with Iraq conflicted with their job requirements as a newspaper journalist to report on the justifications for it, leading to a change in attitude to reduce the discomfort of the conflicting beliefs.

Question 10

After making important decisions,we usually reduce dissonance by _______ the chosen alternative and _______ the unchosen option.

Accepted Answer

According to the principle of cognitive dissonance, after making an important decision, we tend to reduce dissonance by upgrading the chosen alternative and downgrading the unchosen option. This helps us feel more confident and satisfied with our decision. Therefore, the best choice is D - upgrading the chosen alternative and downgrading the unchosen option.

Question 11

Once we make a decision or choice,and feel some cognitive dissonance,

Accepted Answer

When we experience cognitive dissonance, our brain seeks to reduce the discomfort by justifying our decision or choice. We may do this by coming up with additional reasons to support our decision or choice, which is known as post-decisional justification or rationalization. This helps to restore our confidence in the decision or choice and reduces the dissonance.

Question 12

As noted in the textbook,at the beginning of the Iraq war only 38 percent of Americans said the war was justified even if Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.When no such weapons were found after the war,58 percent of Americans then supported the war.Myers explains this revision of people's memories of the government's rationale for going to war as an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of cognitive dissonance, as people may have felt discomfort or inconsistency between their belief that the war was unjustified and the fact that their country went to war. To reduce this dissonance, they may have altered their beliefs and memories to justify and support the war.

Question 13

After much deliberation,you decide on a college to attend.After you have made your decision,you find yourself reducing any dissonance by _______ the chosen university and _______ the unchosen universities.

Accepted Answer

Once a decision has been made, we tend to reduce any dissonance by upgrading the chosen option and downgrading the unchosen options. This helps us feel justified in our decision and reduces any discomfort or doubt we may have.

Question 14

You have recently earned a promotion at work and are now a manager.You decide to use your knowledge of social psychology to improve the working conditions of your new subordinates.You know that the dissonance theory predicts that attitudes will follow behaviors for which we feel some responsibility;therefore you decide to use _______ to elicit the desired behaviors in your subordinates.

Accepted Answer

The dissonance theory suggests that people will change their attitudes to align with their behaviors if they feel responsible for those behaviors. Using the smallest possible incentive encourages individuals to internalize the behavior, as they perceive it as their own choice rather than being externally motivated.

Question 15

The attitudes-follow-behavior effect is strongest when

Accepted Answer

The attitudes-follow-behavior effect is strongest when people feel that they have some choice in their behavior. This is because when people feel that they have control over their behavior, they are more likely to take responsibility for it and to justify their actions by changing their attitudes to be consistent with their behavior. When people feel that they have no choice in their behavior, they are less likely to be influenced by the attitudes-follow-behavior effect. When people are rewarded for their behavior, it can also weaken the attitudes-follow-behavior effect because they may attribute their behavior to the reward rather than to their attitudes. The presence or absence of foreseeable consequences may affect the attitudes-follow-behavior effect, but it is not the most important factor.

Question 16

Which theory best explains why 40 percent of smokers in the U.S.judge smoking as not very harmful?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory explains how individuals experience discomfort when holding two conflicting beliefs, such as knowing smoking is harmful but continuing to smoke. To reduce this discomfort, they may downplay the harm of smoking.

Question 17

Which theory assumes that we observe our actions for clues about our own attitudes and beliefs?

Accepted Answer

The self-perception theory assumes that individuals observe their own behavior and use it as a cue to infer their own attitudes and beliefs. This theory suggests that people do not always have strong pre-existing attitudes or beliefs on a particular topic, but rather they form them based on their own behavior and the context in which it occurs.

Question 18

You receive more than one marriage proposal,and after deciding on who you wish to spend your life with,dissonance theory would predict that you would _______ the individual whose proposal you did accept.

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory states that when we make a decision, we often experience discomfort or dissonance due to the options we had to give up. To reduce this discomfort, we might upgrade the chosen option and downgrade the options we did not choose. Therefore, after receiving multiple proposals and choosing someone to marry, dissonance theory would predict that we would upgrade the chosen individual and view them more favorably than the ones we rejected.

Question 19

Though she is opposed to capital punishment,Lisa is asked to give a speech in favor of it to round out a class debate.Dissonance theory predicts that her true attitude will undergo the most change if she

Accepted Answer

According to dissonance theory, when individuals engage in behavior that is inconsistent with their beliefs without sufficient external justification (like a large reward), they are more likely to change their attitudes to reduce the dissonance.

Question 20

As a teenager,your parents always forced you to clean your room.Now that you are living on your own,you feel no motivation to clean,as there are no parents around to nag you.This is an example of how

Accepted Answer

This scenario fits with the idea that attitudes follow behaviors for which we feel some responsibility. When teenagers are living with their parents, the responsibility to clean their room is imposed on them, creating an attitude that they must clean their room. However, when they move out and no longer have that imposed responsibility, their attitude towards cleaning their room may change as they no longer feel that responsibility. This is why attitudes are following the behaviors for which we once felt some responsibility.

Quiz 4: Behavior and Attitudes