Deck 6: Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Question 1

Cognitive dissonance can be defined as

A) the existence of contradictory cognitions
B) the negative feelings people experience due to contradictory cognitions
C) the communication of negative feelings resulting from contradictory cognitions
D) the ability to evaluate one's cognitions in terms of their possible contradiction

Answer 1

the negative feelings people experience due to contradictory cognitions

Question 2

An example of a consonant relationship between beliefs and behaviors is when

A) you believe in raising the speed limit and lobby against drunk driving
B) you believe that researchers treat lab animals inhumanely and lobby actively against the use of animals in research
C) you believe in going to church on Sundays and agree to work overtime on Sundays
D) all of these

Answer 2

you believe that researchers treat lab animals inhumanely and lobby actively against the use of animals in research

Question 3

Which of the following best illustrates an irrelevant relationship?

A) You believe the university's honor code should be upheld and you tell the professor that you saw someone cheating on last week's exam.
B) You are a smoker and you agree to help create an educational video describing the negative health effects of smoking.
C) You purchase an inexpensive car and you believe cats make better pets than dogs.
D) You are concerned about how a friend is dealing with a recent breakup and you offer emotional support to that friend.

Answer 3

You purchase an inexpensive car and you believe cats make better pets than dogs.

Question 4

Joseph believes that parenthood is a spiritually growth-providing experience. According to Cognitive Dissonance Theory, he would most likely be persuaded to become a parent if Glenda told him that parenthood

A) was the most significant experience she had ever had
B) was overrated and a burden
C) had deprived her of her ability to talk to adults
D) had caused her to save money because she no longer had time to go out

Question 5

Which of the following is an assumption of Cognitive Dissonance Theory?

A) Human beings are not bothered by inconsistencies in their cognitions.
B) Dissonance is created by physiological discomfort.
C) Dissonance is an aversive state that drives people to actions with measurable effects.
D) None of these

Question 6

The three factors that influence the magnitude of dissonance a person will feel are

A) the degree of inconsistency, the dissonance relationship, and the dissonance recovery
B) the degree of amplitude, the dissonance rehearsal, and the dissonance propensity
C) the degree of importance, the dissonance ratio, and the dissonance rationale
D) none of these

Question 7

Which of the following statements underscores the Cognitive Dissonance Theory assumption that human beings desire consistency in their beliefs, attitudes and behaviors?

A) People do not enjoy inconsistencies in their thoughts and beliefs.
B) Cognitions must be psychologically inconsistent with one another to arouse cognitive dissonance.
C) Dissonance is a drive state possessing arousal properties.
D) All of these

Question 8

Olivia sees herself primarily as an excellent nanny. When the children she cares for refuse to be left in her care, the magnitude of her dissonance is likely to be

A) low
B) high
C) first low and then high
D) first high and then low

Question 9

Olivia tells herself that the children normally like to be left with her but balked this time only because she had told them they would have to spend some time doing homework. This strategy is likely to

A) increase her dissonance
B) anger the children
C) reduce her dissonance
D) none of the above

Question 10

Berscheid and Walster (1978) found that most people interpret close friends' attitudes as more congruent with their own than is actually true. This is an example of which of the following?

A) cognitive mirroring
B) dissonance self-perception
C) impression management
D) none of these

Question 11

The $1/$20 study concluded that

A) buyers are less remorseful about a purchasing decision when they pay less for a product
B) minimal justification causes more cognitive dissonance than a more substantial justification
C) selective retention is the most important step to take when attempting to reduce dissonance
D) irrelevant relationships can cause dissonance

Question 12

Knox and Inkster (1968) found that gamblers expressed more _________ after making their decision than before.

A) dissonance
B) justification
C) confidence
D) none of these

Question 13

Which approach to knowing is most closely associated with CDT?

A) epistemological
B) interpretive/hermeneutic
C) critical
D) positivistic/empirical

Question 14

While watching television, you generally tune out the commercials. However, when you see an advertisement about the car you just purchased and how great it is, your ears perk up and you watch the commercial eagerly. This is an example of which type of selection?

A) selective retention
B) selective interpretation
C) selective exposure
D) selective attention

Question 15

All of the following are utility-related critiques of Cognitive Dissonance Theory EXCEPT

A) dissonance may not explain behavior as well as other theoretical frameworks
B) social identity is not as useful a predictor of dissonance as psychological variables
C) the concept of dissonance is confounded by self-concept or impression management
D) self-perception may be what motivates people to act, not dissonance

Question 16

Cognitive Dissonance Theory is rooted in the _________ context of communication.

A) intrapersonal
B) interpersonal
C) small group
D) intercultural

Question 17

In Cognitive Dissonance Theory, rationale refers to

A) the fact that the theory is logical and consistent
B) the amount of consonant cognitions relative to dissonant ones
C) the reasoning process employed to explain an inconsistency
D) the perception of dissonance experienced by another person

Question 18

We can reduce dissonance by

A) reducing the importance of our dissonant beliefs
B) adding to our consonant beliefs
C) eliminating the dissonance in some way
D) all of these

Question 19

Which of the following accurately summarizes an actual critique of CDT?

A) While the theory provides a high rate of prediction for dissonance-related outcomes, the theory does not accurately capture the actual process one likely goes through when determining the outcome.
B) Because CDT asserts that dissonance motivates people to act, when people do not act, one could simply argue that the dissonance was not strong enough, rather than questioning the theory's accuracy.
C) CDT has focused too much on the role of one's group membership in determining how and when a person is likely to feel dissonance and be motivated to act in order to reduce that dissonance.
D) All of these

Question 20

With which communication tradition is CDT most closely related?

A) socio-cultural
B) interpretive
C) socio-psychological
D) critical

Question 21

Consistency theories posit that the mind operates as an intermediary between stimulus and response.

Question 22

Cognitive Dissonance Theory proponents believe that human beings desire consistency in their cognitions.

Question 23

Buyer's remorse refers to the dissonance one feels after making a purchase.

Question 24

Cognitive dissonance theorists argue that there are both psychological and physiological causes of dissonance.

Question 25

Cognitive Dissonance Theory predicts that people will remember and learn inconsistent information more easily than consistent information.

Question 26

Being sedentary and eating junk food despite believing that diet and exercise are integral parts of a healthy and happy lifestyle is a prime example of a consonant relationship.

Question 27

Cognitive Dissonance Theory predicts that dissonance motivates efforts to achieve consonance through selective regeneration.

Question 28

An individual employing selective retention is likely to remember all the arguments both for and against the position he or she holds.

Question 29

Provide an example of a consonant, a dissonant, and an irrelevant relationship between two cognitions.

Question 30

How can an individual reduce the magnitude of dissonance?

Question 31

Define selective exposure, selective attention, selective interpretation, and selective retention. How are these processes related to Cognitive Dissonance Theory?

Question 32

Define and explain the principle of minimal justification, and provide an example of how it could work to persuade someone to do something (other than the examples provided in the text).

Question 33

Identify three criticisms of Cognitive Dissonance Theory.

Question 34

Using our standard criteria for theory evaluation, critique Cognitive Dissonance Theory.

Question 35

Define and explain the three factors that influence the magnitude of dissonance a person will feel. Think of a particular situation in which one might feel dissonance, and develop an example related to that situation for each factor to illustrate its influence.