Question 1

According to the authors of your text, when the Bush administration received evidence that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq-after they had already invested troops and money in the war-the administration engaged in __________.

Accepted Answer

The authors state that the Bush administration engaged in self-justification after receiving evidence that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, in order to make the war a reasonable course of action despite the evidence against it.

Question 2

The author of your text presents that idea that much of human thinking is not rational, but rationalizing. What does your author mean by rationalizing thought?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The author of your text presents that...

Question 3

Emile just ditched a friend at a party to spend time with a pretty woman. Emile feels uncomfortable, but he tells himself it's because the woman is so hot, and not because he treated his friend badly. The way he's feeling is dissonance, but he tells himself it's sexual attraction. This describes which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Emile just ditched a friend at a...

Question 4

__________ is defined as the combination of excessive self-love and a lack of empathy toward others.

Accepted Answer

Narcissism is specifically characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for admiration and attention from others, and a lack of concern for the feelings and needs of others. Dissonance refers to a state of mental discomfort caused by holding conflicting beliefs or values. Self-esteem refers to one's subjective evaluation of their own self-worth. Hypocrisy refers to the act of pretending to have certain beliefs or values that one does not actually hold.

Question 5

Dissonance theory helps us understand the apparently irrational behavior of cult members, such as those in the Heaven's Gate cult and at Jonestown, who committed mass suicide. All of the following, EXCEPT __________, tend to increase dissonance and hence the extreme dissonance-reducing commitment to the cult or cause and the beliefs of the leaders.

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory suggests that actions or commitments that are costly (such as sacrificing money and possessions, giving up relationships, and hard work for the cult) increase the psychological dissonance experienced by individuals. This dissonance motivates individuals to reduce it by further committing to the cult or cause. Negative self-concepts, however, are not directly related to increasing dissonance through actions or commitments made to the cult; they might be a factor in why individuals join cults but do not inherently increase dissonance through costly actions.

Question 6

What did Leon Festinger's (1957) original formulation of dissonance theory posit? Be sure to address what cognitive dissonance is, how and when it arises, and what people do to reduce it.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What did Leon Festinger's (1957) original formulation...

Question 7

According to the authors of your text, what is one major danger of engaging in self-justification strategies?

Accepted Answer

Engaging in self-justification strategies can lead us to fail to learn from our mistakes because we become more focused on defending our actions rather than acknowledging and correcting any errors we may have made. This can be detrimental to personal growth and improvement.

Question 8

In addition to the pull of charismatic leaders, the social support of fellow cult members, and the isolation of cult members from dissenting viewpoints, why else do cult members behave as they do?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance refers to the discomfort that arises when a person holds two or more inconsistent beliefs or values. In the context of cults, members may experience cognitive dissonance when their beliefs or actions contradict their prior beliefs or values. They may resolve this dissonance by convincing themselves that their leader or the group's ideology is correct, which can lead to extreme behavior and a reluctance to leave the group.

Question 9

Which of the following pairs is most likely to show the greatest amount of dissonance?

Accepted Answer

Dissonance is likely to be greatest in situations where there is a noticeable disparity or conflict in abilities or beliefs between individuals, especially in closely related or comparable fields. In option C, the contrast between Kristoff's average academic performance and his little brother Kavo's excellence in the same domain (academics) is likely to create a sense of dissonance or tension, particularly due to the competitive or comparative nature of academic achievement within families. The other options present pairs with either complementary skills or similar levels of ability, which are less likely to generate significant dissonance.

Question 10

According to Tesser's self-evaluation maintenance theory, which of the following is NOT something you can do to reduce your dissonance?

Accepted Answer

Tesser's self-evaluation maintenance theory suggests that people can reduce dissonance by distancing themselves from the outperformer, changing the relevance of the task, or improving their own performance. Undermining or discounting a friend's performance is not a recommended strategy within this theory.

Question 11

Jessica thinks of herself as a health-conscious person. As she is eating a steak one evening, she sees a news report that consuming red meat increases the risk of breast cancer by over 50 percent! At this moment, she is experiencing a large amount of cognitive dissonance. State the three ways people can reduce dissonance, and apply these techniques to Jessica's dissonance; that is, give an example of each of the three dissonance-reduction techniques Jessica could use.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jessica thinks of herself as a health-conscious...

Question 12

According to Tesser's self-evaluation maintenance theory, which of the following is not a condition that must be met for a person to feel dissonance in a relationship with someone else?

Accepted Answer

Tesser's self-evaluation maintenance theory suggests that dissonance in a relationship arises when three specific conditions are met: closeness to the person, the person's superiority in a task, and the centrality of the task to one's self-esteem. The theory does not require that the friend frequently reminds you of their superiority for dissonance to occur.

Question 13

In research by Dunn, Aknin, and Norton (2008), students were given $20 to spend on themselves or they were asked to spend it on someone else. Later, when participants were asked about their level of happiness, what did they find?

Accepted Answer

The researchers found that those who spent the money on others reported a higher level of happiness compared to those who spent the money on themselves. This suggests that spending money on others can lead to increased happiness.

Question 14

Social psychologists had African American students do carefully constructed self-affirming writing assignments regarding their good qualities outside of school. How did this activity affect these students?

Accepted Answer

The self-affirming writing assignments resulted in African American students having not only higher self-esteem but also improvement in their academic performance. This is likely because the activity helped reduce stereotype threat, which can hinder academic performance, by reminding the students of their positive qualities and strengths outside of school.

Question 15

The authors of your text provide the example of the most recent war in Iraq to demonstrate the dangers of what can happen when political leaders __________.

Accepted Answer

The authors of the text use the example of the most recent war in Iraq to illustrate the dangers of political leaders being caught up in a cycle of self-justification, which can lead to disastrous decisions.

Question 16

Why does making a decision tend to generate dissonance, how is this dissonance reduced, and under what conditions is postdecisional dissonance reduction the greatest?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why does making a decision tend to...

Question 17

Jussef is a whiz at spelling. He has won multiple local and regional spelling bees. When he moves to a new state, he makes friends with Marcus, and finds out later that he is a champion speller who has won national competitions. Jussef is likely to feel __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jussef is a whiz at spelling. He...

Question 18

Imagine you are watching a debate between two presidential candidates. You prefer Candidate A and dislike Candidate B. Both candidates offer strong arguments and weak arguments about Issue X. Which arguments would you be most likely to remember? Which arguments would you be most likely to forget? Is it likely that you change your opinion after having watched the debate? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imagine you are watching a debate between...

Question 19

Talia loves animals but still eats meat. When she experiences dissonance about the contradiction, she tells herself that she also volunteers her time at an animal shelter. This manner of reducing dissonance involves __________.

Accepted Answer

Talia is using self-affirmation to reduce the dissonance between her love for animals and her consumption of meat. By reminding herself of her positive actions towards animals, she is affirming her belief that she is a good person who cares for animals, which helps to reduce the discomfort of holding contradictory beliefs.

Question 20

According to the authors of your text, what is one way people can begin to learn from their mistakes?

Accepted Answer

The authors suggest that one way people can begin to learn from their mistakes is by recognizing the tendency to justify our actions. This involves acknowledging and accepting responsibility for our mistakes, rather than denying or rationalizing them. Additionally, it can be helpful to focus on solutions and actions that can help us improve and avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

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