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Topic: Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

Related Topics

Cognitive bias

Hindsight bias

Fundamental attribution error

Illusion of control

Homophobes

Halo effect

Repressed memory

Psychological projection

Reaction formation

Displacement (psychology)

	Sample Chapter -- Cognitive Dissonance (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		The magnitude of dissonance between one cognitive element and the remainder of the person's cognitions depends on the number and importance of cognitions that are consonant and dissonant with the one in question.
		From the cognition that the activity is unpleasant, it follows that one would not engage in the activity; the cognition that the activity is unpleasant is dissonant with engaging in the activity.
		Self-perception theory (Bem, 1967, 1972) argued that dissonance effects were not the result of motivation to reduce the psychological discomfort produced by cognitive dissonance but were due to a nonmotivational process whereby persons merely inferred their attitudes from their behavior and the circumstances under which the behavior occurred.
	www.apa.org /books/4318830s.html (5504 words)

	Cognitive Dissonance Theory
		Dissonance could be eliminated by deciding that it does not matter since the car is mainly used for short trips (reducing the importance of the dissonant belief) or focusing on the cars strengths such as safety, appearance, handling (thereby adding more consonant beliefs).
		Dissonance can be eliminated by reducing the importance of the conflicting beliefs, acquiring new beliefs that change the balance, or removing the conflicting attitude or behavior.
		Cognitive dissonance is a rather indirect method of social influence (behavior modification) that produces more lasting attitude changes because people subject to dissonance manipulations have the illusion of "making a free choice" in changing their attitudes.
	whgbetc.com /ifbm/cog-theory.html (2171 words)

	Cognitive Dissonance
		Cognitive dissonance theory was based on abstract/internal/mental concepts, which were, of course, anathema to the behaviorists.
		Cognitive dissonance theory, on the other hand, would predict that those who were paid $1 would feel the most dissonance since they had to carry out a boring task and lie to an experimenter, all for only 1$.
		This would create dissonance between the belief that they were not stupid or evil, and the action which is that they carried out a boring task and lied for only a dollar (see Figure 2).
	web.umr.edu /~psyworld/cognitive_dissonance.htm (1085 words)

	[No title]
		Cognitive dissonance is so unpleasant that individuals would often rather be close-minded than be informed and deal with the repercussions of cognitive dissonance.
		The author argues that "cognitive dissonance is related to conflict management because it is the results of the conflict that lead the persons involved to seek resolution.
		Dissonance can be presented as intra-personal whereby it affects beliefs and values and this is borne out in behaviors resulting in interpersonal problems.
	www.beyondintractability.org /m/cognitive_dissonance.jsp (2163 words)

	Cognitive Consistency Theory Overview (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		The theory (originally called the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance) was further developed with funds and assistance of the Laboratory for Research in Social Relations of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
		Dissonance is aroused in an individual when a person possesses two cognitive elements (information) about himself or his environment and where one is the opposite of the other.
		Although the theory of cognitive consistency may not be extremely useful in explaining or understanding behavior fully, it has provided important information for health educators.
	hsc.usf.edu /~kmbrown/Cognitive_Consistency_Overview.htm (2587 words)

	physics - Cognitive dissonance
		Cognitive dissonance is a state of opposition between cognitions.
		For the purpose of cognitive consistency theory, cognitions are defined as being an attitude, emotion, belief or value, or even a mixture of these cognitions.
		The researchers further speculated that with only $1, subjects faced insufficient justification and therefore "cognitive dissonance", so when they were asked to lie about the tasks, they sought to relieve this hypothetical stress by literally changing their attitude in a process akin to autobrainwashing in order to really believe that they found the tasks enjoyable.
	www.physicsdaily.com /physics/Cognitive_dissonance (1227 words)

	Cognitive Dissonance Theory
		Cognitive dissonance is a theory first proposed by the psychologist Leon Festinger in 1956.
		Cognitive dissonance is a state of imbalance between cognitions.
		In brief, the theory of cognitive dissonance holds that the human mind tends to adopt thoughts or beliefs so as to minimise the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions.
	www.sfu.ca /~sbratt/LearningKit2/Theory.htm (763 words)

	Chapter 3: Cognitive dissonance theory: Choices made in threatening situations (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		When one cognition about an attitude or behavior that is held in the mind of a person (e.g., "I am a truthful person") conflicts with another cognition (e.g., "I just told this person a lie"), an unpleasant state of arousal results from the inconsistency of these dissonant conditions.
		In the $1.00 condition, however, cognitive dissonance should be high because most people would not be willing to tell even a small fib for the measly reward of a dollar.
		On the other hand, when they were asked to re-rate their impressions of the earlier experimental task, they reduced the impact of cognitive dissonance arousal by altering their impressions of the task in a favorable direction.
	sunsite.dcc.uchile.cl /~abassi/WWW/PsiPhi/cog-disson.html (784 words)

	cognitive dissonance
		Cognitive dissonance is a theory of human motivation that asserts that it is psychologically uncomfortable to hold contradictory cognitions.
		The theory is that dissonance, being unpleasant, motivates a person to change his cognition, attitude, or behavior.
		Yet, a cursory examination of cognitive dissonance reveals that it is not the dissonance, but how people deal with it, that would be of interest to someone trying to control others when the evidence seems against them.
	skepdic.com /cognitivedissonance.html (1877 words)

	Pop Occulture: Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		The theory talks about what happens when people are forced into a state where they have to entertain two conflicting states of cognition at once.
		He considered cognitive dissonance to be a "negative drive state," along similar lines to hunger, thirst or tiredness.
		One of the elements of the theory states that it is easier to retain your previous cognitive state (inertia, basically) than to accept the new state of cognition.
	www.timboucher.com /journal/2004/10/cognitive-dissonance-theory.html (288 words)

	UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC: Effects of Temptation and Restraints on Attitude Change
		Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs whenever an individual simultaneously holds two cognition's (ideas, attitudes, beliefs, opinions) that are psychologically inconsistent (Festinger, 1957).
		Cognitive dissonance is a remarkable explanation to human behavior.
		Cognitive dissonance is a fascinating theory that has been researched time after time.
	www.orgsites.com /ca/baldwin (2165 words)

	Truth Maintenance with Cognitive Dissonance by Peter Schwartz
		According to Festinger [3], cognitive dissonance is the noxious mental state that results from beliefs being in conflict with each other.
		The strength of cognitive dissonance is a direct function of two factors: the number of beliefs in conflict and the importance of those beliefs.
		Cognitive Dissonance Theory explains these results in terms of "insufficient justification." It is assumed that subjects come into the experiment with the belief "I do not lie without a good reason." The subjects in the experiment groups then go on to tell a lie.
	www.cs.umd.edu /Honors/reports/Schwartz/cogdis.html (886 words)

	cognitive dissonance -- Encyclopædia Britannica
		Cognitive theories of motivation assume that behaviour is directed as a result of the active processing and interpretation of information.
		An alternative approach, known as self-perception theory, suggests that all individuals analyze their own behaviour much as an outside observer might and, as a result of these observations, make judgments about why they are motivated to do what they do.
		Includes coverage of such theories as cognitive dissonance, constructivist, Gestalt, information processing, repair, script, sign, social learning, structural learning, subsumption, and triarchic, as well as dealing with connectionism, criterion-referenced instruction, experiential learning, genetic epistemology, lateral thinking, levels of processing, modes of learning, multiple intelligences, operant conditioning, situated learning, social development, and structure of intellect.
	www.britannica.com /eb/article-9024662?tocId=9024662&query=cognitive (823 words)

	SFB 504 glossary: Cognitive dissonance theory (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		The cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957) is a general theoretical framework which explains how people change their opinions or hypotheses about themselves and their environment.
		Dissonant cognitions produce an aversive state which the individual will try to reduce by changing one or both of the cognitions.
		Cognitive dissonance can be reduced by adding new cognitions, if (a) the new cognitions add weight to one side and thus, decreases the proportion of cognitive elements that are dissonant or (b) the new cognitions change the importance of the cognitive elements that are in dissonant relation with one another.
	www.sfb504.uni-mannheim.de /glossary/cogdis.htm (285 words)

	COGNITIVE DISSONANCE IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT, Term Papers 2000, Term papers, 051115
		Cognition, for the purpose of this theory, may be thought of as piece of knowledge.
		Dissonance is the discomfort in psychological and physiological states caused when an inconsistency is created between a person's beliefs and his or her behaviors.
		Fear of death, a universal emotion, is cited as an example of cognitive dissonance often studied by philosophers and psychologists.
	www.termpapers2000.com /lib/essay/Cognitive-Dissonance-in-Conflict-Management.html?a=search1 (2734 words)

	Festinger Article -- Nickel Critique (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		Thus cognitive dissonance is the psychological conflict that results from holding two or more incompatible cognitions simultaneously or as Festinger would state it: if two cognitions or elements of knowledge are in dissonant relation " the observe from one element would follow from the other" (p.
		Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance is a relatively straightforward social psychology theory that has also been applied in a variety of fields but especially in the field of communication research.
		Nevertheless, Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance is a strong approach to explain and to predict individual media use.
	www.unc.edu /courses/2000fall/jomc245-001/nickel_critique_2.html (788 words)

	cognitive consistency: 2
		In common with other theories of cognitive consistency, Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony (or dissonance).
		Cognitive dissonance theory explains this as follows: being paid $20 provides a very consonant reason for complying with the experimenters wishes and there is therefore no dissonance; being paid only $1 is not sufficient incentive for lying and so those who were paid $1 and did comply experienced dissonance.
		The urge to reduce cognitive dissonance is thus an urge to provide an explanation of our behaviour which justifies that proposition.
	www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk /MUHome/cshtml/psy/consist5.html (1002 words)

	TIP: Theories
		There are three ways to eliminate dissonance: (1) reduce the importance of the dissonant beliefs, (2) add more consonant beliefs that outweigh the dissonant beliefs, or (3) change the dissonant beliefs so that they are no longer inconsistent.
		In this respect, dissonance theory is contradictory to most behavioral theories which would predict greater attitude change with increased incentive (i.e., reinforcement).
		Dissonance theory applies to all situations involving attitude formation and change.
	tip.psychology.org /festinge.html (377 words)

	Content Pages of the Encyclopedia of Religion and Social Science (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		The theory of cognitive dissonance dominated the social psychology journals from the late 1950s to early 1970s and is still an important theoretical idea that appears in virtually all psychology and social psychology texts (Jones 1985).
		The basic theory of cognitive dissonance is simple: People prefer a situation in which their cognitions are consistent with each other and their cognitions are consistent with their behaviors.
		Cognitive re-creation theory is based on the premise that an intense reality-transforming experience of conversion or inspiration is closely analogous to the process of artistic or scientific creativity.
	hirr.hartsem.edu /ency/cogdisso.htm (756 words)

	Leon Festinger Cognitive Dissonance Theory
		According to Cognitive Dissonance Theory, most members of the cult would strongly believe in the woman, even if she was proven wrong.
		Cognitive Dissonance is operationally defined as a discomfort or tension that an individual feels when holding two or more ideas that are inconsistent with each other.
		Cognitive Dissonance Theory has been able to explain a number of social behaviors that cannot be explained by behaviorist theory.
	www.geocities.com /tarob01/Festinger.html (2716 words)

	Suijuris Forums - Cognitive Dissonance (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		Cognitive Dissonance Theory, developed by Leon Festinger (1957), is concerned with the relationships among cognitions.
		A cognition, for the purpose of this theory, may be thought of as a ³piece of knowledge.² The knowledge may be about an attitude, an emotion, a behavior, a value, and so on.
		Fourth, the relative weights given to the consonant and dissonant cognitions may be adjusted by their importance in the mind of the individual.
	forum.suijuris.net /showthread.php?t=973 (1167 words)

	Communication Theory: A First Look
		In extreme cases cognitive dissonance is like our cringing response to fingernails being scraped on a flboard—we’ll do anything to get away from the awful sound.
		But before cognitive dissonance theory came along, it seemed natural to think of inner attitude and outward behavior as the beginning and end of a cause-and-effect sequence.
		University of California social psychologist Elliot Aronson was attracted to cognitive dissonance theory because of Leon Festinger’s startling minimal justification prediction.
	www.afirstlook.com /archive/cogdiss.cfm?source=archther (3892 words)

	Cognitive Dissonance and learning
		Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon which refers to the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information or interpretation.
		Neighbour (1992) makes the generation of appropriate dissonance into a major feature of tutorial (and other) teaching: he shows how to drive this kind of intellectual wedge between learners' current beliefs and "reality".
		I of course would like to believe that that is a purely rational judgement based on its excellence, but there may be an element of cognitive dissonance in it...
	www.learningandteaching.info /learning/dissonance.htm (967 words)

	Cognitive Dissonance Theory
		As long as the dissonance is strong enough to cause a threat to the status quo attitude, the tension of cognitive dissonance must be alleviated, and we do this by changing our behavior or our beliefs.
		Now that we understand how cognitive dissonance theory is applied to a real communication situation through this analysis, the effectiveness of this theory is called into question.
		And if he does not proceed to eliminate the dissonance, then the theory explains that the dissonant information was not enough of a threat to the person to spur a change in thought or behavior.
	www.colorado.edu /communication/meta-discourses/Papers/App_Papers/Jean.htm (2983 words)

	Cognitive Dissonance Theory of Leon Festinger
		This theory basically states that cognitive dissonance is the distressing mental state when people do things they wouldn't normally do, or have opinions that don't go along with opinions they already hold.
		Three conditions can highten the dissonance: (1) how important the issue, (2) the longer it takes to make a decision between two equally desired options, and (3) how hard it is to reverse the decision once it has been made.
		Cognitive Dissonance is similar because the stranger would want to try to lower the level of dissonance.
	oak.cats.ohiou.edu /~as491398/cdaes.htm (436 words)

	Defining Communication Theories (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		Cognitive Dissonance Theory argues that the experience of dissonance (or incompatible beliefs and actions) is aversive and people are highly motivated to avoid it.
		The theory advances that when communicative norms are violated, the violation may be perceived either favorably or unfavorably, depending on the perception that the receiver has of the violator.
		The theory emphasizes a limited effect position; that is, the media have a limithe effect on their audiences because audiences are able to exercise control over their media.
	www.mhhe.com /mayfieldpub/westturner/student_resources/theories.htm (1572 words)

	The_Generic_Messageboard :: View topic - Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		Cognitive dissonance will happen when someone also may have a behavior that runs contrary to their beliefs as well.
		Bem's theory didn't displace dissonance theory but simply expanded one part that people's attitudes are sometimes inferred from their behavior.
		Shermer notes his findings of aspects of dissonance theory at work in an experiment in which participants were asked why they believed in God.
	www.1-2-free-forums.com /mf/77901-post-305.html (1299 words)

	Cognitive Dissonance (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-08)
		"Cognitive dissonance" is a term invented in the late 1950's by Leon Festinger.
		Later, Festinger fluffed up his observations into a full blown "theory of cognitive dissonance" and it became part of the received knowledge of sociology -- the softest of the soft sciences.
		The popular definition of "conitive dissonance" becomes something along the lines of "when belief and action are in conflict, people change their beliefs to continue acting the same way." And then a little more of a change and "cognitive dissonance is the discomfort felt when beliefs and facts do not agree."
	nwcitizen.com /wic/Quickly/CognitiveDissonance.html (658 words)

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