In a classic study, research participants did an extremely boring task and were then paid either $1 or $20 to tell someone else that it was interesting. When their actual attitudes toward the task were later measured, __________.

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This finding is consistent with cognitive dissonance theory, which suggests that when individuals experience a discrepancy between their attitudes and behaviors (in this case, lying about the task being interesting), they will adjust their attitudes to reduce the dissonance. Participants paid only $1 had insufficient external justification for lying, leading them to change their attitudes to believe the task was more interesting, whereas those paid $20 had enough external justification for their behavior, so they felt less need to change their internal attitudes.

In a Classic Study, Research Participants Did an Extremely Boring