Question 1

Mariah has had a hard semester, and her grades have suffered. She really needs a good grade in psychology to get off academic probation and stay in school. On the next psychology exam, Mariah is sorely tempted to cheat, but she decides not to. Which of the following pairs of cognitions best reflects the source of any dissonance Mariah might experience while deciding not to cheat?

Accepted Answer

Mariah's dissonance arises from the conflict between the high stakes of her situation ("My school life could be over") and her decision to forgo an opportunity that could potentially alleviate her predicament ("I just gave up a chance to help myself").

Question 2

Your text describes several situations in which a person may decide to behave immorally, a behavior which is likely to arouse a fair amount of cognitive dissonance. How are people most likely to reduce this dissonance stemming from an immoral act such as lying or cheating?

Accepted Answer

According to the text, people are most likely to reduce cognitive dissonance stemming from an immoral act by changing their attitude about the immoral behavior. This may involve rationalizing the behavior or convincing oneself that it was necessary or justified in some way. It is less common for people to change their behavior or add cognitions to reduce dissonance, and downward social comparison may actually increase dissonance in this context.

Question 3

What are the implications of the research on dehumanizing enemies in war?

Accepted Answer

The research on dehumanizing enemies in war suggests that people who perform acts of cruelty have long-term consequences. This means that the mental and emotional toll of committing acts of cruelty can have a lasting impact on individuals. It is important to acknowledge the potential effects of dehumanization and cruelty in order to prevent the perpetuation of these actions in future conflicts.

Question 4

Because they provide the potential offender __________, threats of harsh punishment seldom produce positive attitude change.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Because they provide the potential offender __________,...

Question 5

According to the principle of insufficient punishment, which of the following parental techniques should be most effective in changing a child's behavior permanently (i.e., even behavior that occurs in the absence of the parent)?

Accepted Answer

The principle of insufficient punishment suggests that when the punishment for undesirable behavior is mild (rather than severe), individuals are more likely to develop internal justifications for avoiding the behavior, leading to a more permanent change. Severe punishments might control behavior in the short term due to fear, but they do not foster internal motivation to change. Mild punishments encourage the individual to internally rationalize their behavior change, making it more likely to persist even in the absence of external enforcement.

Question 6

Derek likes to bully his little brother Matt. Their mother begins to give Derek the mild punishment of a stern look every time Derek hits Matt. This is sufficient to stop Derek's bullying, and in time, Derek stops bullying Matt even when his mother is not around. According to theories of insufficient punishment, why might this happen?

Accepted Answer

The theory of insufficient punishment suggests that when the external punishment for an undesirable behavior is mild (insufficient), individuals do not have enough external justification for changing their behavior. Instead, they may change their internal attitudes to align with their behavior. In Derek's case, the mild punishment (a stern look) did not provide a strong external reason to stop bullying. Therefore, to resolve the internal dissonance, Derek might have internally devalued the act of bullying, leading to a genuine change in behavior.

Question 7

Willow's mother took away her television privileges as punishment for missing her curfew, when the punishment could have been much more severe, such as being grounded for a week and losing access to her cell phone. Why is Willow's mother using insufficient punishment, according to dissonance theory?

Accepted Answer

According to dissonance theory, if a person is punished too severely for a behavior, they may experience insufficient external justification for their actions and begin to change their attitudes to justify their behavior. However, if the punishment is not severe enough, there is insufficient external justification for their behavior and they may continue to engage in the behavior. In this case, Willow's mother is using insufficient punishment, which may actually lead Willow to continue to miss curfew because the punishment is not severe enough to deter her from doing so again.

Question 8

If you wanted to make use of the concept of insufficient punishment, how would you discipline your child when she's misbehaving? Give the child a stern look and tell her __________.

Accepted Answer

In order to make use of the concept of insufficient punishment, the discipline should be minimal and not overly harsh. Giving a stern look and promising a reward if the child stops the misbehavior can be more effective than threatening physical punishment or limiting chances to improve behavior. Option B offers a simple and straightforward solution to the misbehavior that is not overly harsh, making it the best choice.

Question 9

The local police want to convince drivers to obey the 55 miles per hour speed limit on the highways. The police chief is convinced that doubling speeding fines is the answer. You've just read the section of Chapter 6 that deals with insufficient punishment. What would you say to him?

Accepted Answer

Doubling speeding fines may not be sufficient punishment to change drivers' attitudes about obeying the speed limit. Fines may not be seen as severe enough or swift and certain if they are not consistently enforced by officers. Additionally, there may be other factors contributing to drivers' decisions to speed, such as road design or traffic congestion, that need to be addressed as well. Therefore, simply increasing fines is not likely to be the most effective solution.

Question 10

Who is most likely to convince him- or herself that he or she believes in the behavior he or she is performing?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Who is most likely to convince him-...

Question 11

According to results of dissonance studies, who is more likely to believe that lying is truly a heinous, unconscionable, and unforgivable act?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to results of dissonance studies, who...

Question 12

Based on information from the authors of your text about cognitive dissonance and immoral behavior, which of the following people would be most likely to condone having an extramarital affair?

Accepted Answer

According to research on cognitive dissonance and immoral behavior, individuals who engage in immoral behavior (such as cheating on a spouse) feel psychological discomfort or dissonance because their actions conflict with their beliefs about themselves as good, moral people. To reduce this dissonance, individuals may change their attitudes or beliefs about the behavior to make it seem less immoral. In the case of Jessie, who has already engaged in cheating behavior, she may be more likely to condone it or downplay its immorality in order to reduce the psychological discomfort she may feel.

Question 13

According to dissonance theorists, what is the problem with severe punishment to control behaviors?

Accepted Answer

Severe punishment provides a clear external reason for stopping a behavior, which can prevent the individual from internalizing the desire to stop the behavior. This means the behavior might only change when the threat of punishment is present, rather than the individual deciding to change because they believe it is the right thing to do.

Question 14

Mahmoud wants his seven-year-old daughter to learn that littering is bad. According to cognitive dissonance theory, how should Mahmoud teach his daughter not to be a litterbug?

Accepted Answer

According to cognitive dissonance theory, one way to change behavior is to create a feeling of discomfort or dissonance when the behavior occurs. By giving his daughter a stern look when she litters, Mahmoud is creating a sense of discomfort or dissonance that may lead his daughter to change her behavior and avoid littering in the future. Option A and D are using positive reinforcement, and Option B is using punishment, but cognitive dissonance theory suggests that creating discomfort or dissonance is more effective in changing behavior.

Question 15

According to dissonance theorists, the practice of threatening mild punishment works because it arouses __________ cognitive dissonance and therefore causes __________.

Accepted Answer

According to dissonance theorists, threatening mild punishment works because it arouses much cognitive dissonance - a discomfort caused by holding two conflicting beliefs - and therefore causes a change in attitude toward the forbidden act. The individual will try to reduce the dissonance by changing their attitude towards the act in question, making it easier for them to justify their decision not to engage in it.

Question 16

Lisa and Marcie have a really tough exam in anthropology. Both women are considering cheating on the exam. Based on what you read about cognitive dissonance, Lisa, who __________, is likely to later report that all cheaters should be punished severely, and Marcie, who __________, is likely to report that cheating really is no big deal because there are no victims.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that when individuals engage in behavior that conflicts with their attitudes or beliefs, they experience psychological discomfort. To reduce this discomfort, they may change their attitudes or beliefs to align with their actions. In this scenario, Lisa, who did not cheat, would justify her decision by adopting a harsh stance against cheating, aligning her beliefs with her actions. Marcie, who cheated, would minimize the significance of her actions to reduce dissonance by downplaying the seriousness of cheating.

Question 17

When interviewing dictators, researcher Riccardo Orizio found that __________.

Accepted Answer

According to the given information, all of the dictators interviewed by researcher Riccardo Orizio claimed that their horrible acts were done for the good of the country. Therefore, option B is the correct choice. There is no information provided about the other options.

Question 18

According to the authors of your text, when people are tempted to behave immorally and they choose to be either moral or immoral in that situation, how do they justify their actions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the authors of your text,...

Question 19

Threats of severe punishment are NOT likely to change behaviors in the absence of the person who punishes, because such severe threats provide __________.

Accepted Answer

Threats of severe punishment often lead to external justification for halting undesirable behavior, meaning individuals might only avoid the behavior to escape punishment rather than internalizing the reasons for not engaging in it. When the threat or the person who can enforce the punishment is not present, the behavior is likely to resume because the internal motivation to change has not been established.

Question 20

Imagine that before a test, the professor told Jake that if he is caught cheating, he will be expelled. Imagine that the professor told Amanda that, if caught cheating, her only punishment will be to write a short paper about why cheating is wrong. If both students don't cheat, what would dissonance theory predict?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imagine that before a test, the professor...

Quiz 6: Cognitive Dissonance and the Need to Protect Our Self-Esteem