Question 1

Omar and Nadia are a newly married couple.They work in multinational companies.Omar receives a job offer from an overseas company.As a result,they are required to relocate abroad.Nadia has to decide if she wants to stay back and continue with her current job or move abroad with her husband where she will have limited job opportunities.In this scenario,after arriving at a decision,Nadia can reduce her dissonance by:

Accepted Answer

Upgrading her choice involves focusing on the positive aspects and benefits of the decision she has made, which can help reduce cognitive dissonance by making her feel more confident and satisfied with her decision.

Question 2

Identify a true statement about dissonance theory.

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory pertains mostly to discrepancies between behavior and attitudes, where one feels discomfort and tension when their behavior contradicts their attitudes or beliefs. The theory assumes that individuals will experience discomfort and will seek to reduce it by either changing their behavior or adjusting their attitudes. Option A is incorrect because dissonance theory refers to inconsistent thoughts rather than consistent thoughts. Option B is incorrect because the theory assumes that individuals strive for consistency, rather than strategically expressing attitudes for appearance purposes. Option C is incorrect because dissonance theory suggests that discomfort can be reduced through justifying one's actions to oneself.

Question 3

You have recently been promoted to manager of the firm where you work.You decide to use your knowledge of social psychology to improve the working conditions of your subordinates.You know that dissonance theory predicts that attitudes will follow behaviors for which we feel some responsibility.Therefore,you decide to use _____ to elicit the desired behaviors in your subordinates.

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory predicts that attitudes follow behaviors for which we feel some responsibility. In order to influence the desired behaviors in subordinates, using only enough incentive without excessive punishment or rewards can be effective. This approach encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own actions and align their attitudes with their behavior, ultimately leading to a more positive and productive working environment. Additionally, promises rather than threats can also be an effective way to elicit the desired behaviors while maintaining a positive and motivating work environment. Reminders of legitimate authority and only social punishments and rewards can create a negative and controlling atmosphere, which can ultimately hinder productivity and job satisfaction.

Question 4

Dissonance theory insists that _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dissonance theory insists that _____.
...

Question 5

If you are studying because you want to do well in your chosen course and truly want to understand the material,you are more likely to want to study in the future than students who view studying as compulsory.Your situation is an example of how:

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you are studying because you want...

Question 6

You receive multiple job offers after graduating from college.You find it difficult to arrive at a decision.However,once you decide to accept an offer,you find yourself _____ the job offers you did not accept in order to reduce dissonance.

Accepted Answer

This behavior is explained by cognitive dissonance theory. After making a difficult choice, such as selecting a job offer, individuals often reduce dissonance by downgrading the options not chosen to feel better about the choice they made.

Question 7

You receive more than one marriage proposal.According to dissonance theory,after you decide who you wish to spend your life with,you will _____ the individual whose proposal you accepted.

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory suggests that when we make a difficult decision (such as choosing a spouse), we experience cognitive dissonance, which is discomfort caused by holding conflicting beliefs or values. In this case, the conflicting beliefs might be that multiple individuals have proposed to us but we can only choose one. To reduce this discomfort, we may upgrade the individual whose proposal we accepted in our minds, meaning we view them in a more positive light than the other individuals who proposed to us.

Question 8

Logan chooses zoology over botany as his major in college.However,he experiences dissonance when his semester starts.In this scenario,which of the following is a likely reason for his dissonance?

Accepted Answer

Logan may have initially considered both zoology and botany as potential majors, but ultimately chose zoology. However, upon starting his semester, he may have noticed positive aspects of botany or negative aspects of zoology that he had not considered before. This could lead to dissonance as he questions whether he made the right choice in choosing zoology over botany. In this scenario, he fails to downgrade botany, which means that he still sees positive aspects of botany that he did not consider before.

Question 9

As a teenager,your parents always compelled you to clean your room.Now that you are living on your own,you feel no motivation to clean your home as your parents are not around to nag you.This shows that:

Accepted Answer

This scenario highlights the idea that when individuals are forced to do something, they are not likely to internalize the behavior and continue it when the external pressure is removed. In this case, the teenager only cleaned their room because they were nagged by their parents, but when they were on their own, they did not feel any intrinsic motivation to clean their home. This suggests that people are unlikely to continue behaviors that they feel forced to do, even when the authority figures are not present.

Question 10

Though Lisa is opposed to capital punishment,she is asked to give a speech in favor of it to conclude a class debate.In the context of insufficient justification,dissonance theory predicts that her true attitude will undergo the most change if she:

Accepted Answer

When there is insufficient justification for an action that contradicts one's beliefs (like giving a speech in favor of something one opposes without receiving a significant reward), cognitive dissonance theory predicts that the individual will change their attitudes to align more closely with their actions to reduce the dissonance.

Question 11

Although you were opposed to the American war with Iraq,your attitude changed when you were required to present a report on the justification of the war as a newspaper journalist.Which theory best explains the change in your attitude?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory explains that when an individual holds two conflicting beliefs or attitudes, they experience psychological discomfort or tension. This discomfort motivates them to alleviate the tension by changing their attitude or belief to be consistent with their behavior or by changing their behavior to be consistent with their attitude or belief. In this scenario, the individual's attitude towards the war in Iraq conflicted with their behavior, which was to present a report justifying the war. This created cognitive dissonance, which led to a change in attitude to reduce the discomfort caused by the conflicting beliefs.

Question 12

In the context of cognitive dissonance theory,one can reduce dissonance after making important decisions by _____.

Accepted Answer

Downgrading the unchosen option is a common way to reduce dissonance after making an important decision. This can involve convincing oneself that the chosen option was clearly the better choice and that the unchosen option was actually less appealing or less desirable than originally thought. Criticizing all available choices or overlooking the chosen alternative are not effective ways to reduce dissonance, and studying the attributes of the unchosen options could actually increase dissonance by highlighting potential benefits or advantages of alternative choices.

Question 13

Self-perception theory assumes that _____.

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory assumes that we infer our attitudes and beliefs based on our own behaviors and the circumstances surrounding them. Hearing oneself talk about a particular topic is one way to become aware of our own attitudes about that topic.

Question 14

Owen gets a lucrative job offer from a multinational company soon after he receives his undergraduate degree.At the same time,he gets a research scholarship from a renowned foreign university.He is in a dilemma and is unable to choose the right course of action.Which of the following theories best explains this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that individuals experience discomfort or dissonance when they hold two or more conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or values. In this scenario, Owen's desire for the lucrative job offer conflicts with his desire for the research scholarship. This conflict causes him to experience cognitive dissonance, making it difficult for him to make a decision.

Question 15

Cognitive dissonance theory focuses on _____.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory focuses on the psychological discomfort that individuals experience when they hold two or more conflicting beliefs, ideas, or values.

Question 16

Sarah strongly believes that it is wrong to steal.However,after she steals a bottle of nail polish from a store,her attitude toward shoplifters becomes significantly less harsh.Which theory best accounts for her shift in attitude?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory explains that when a person's actions are inconsistent with their beliefs, they will experience a feeling of discomfort or dissonance, and will adjust their attitude to reduce this discomfort. In this scenario, Sarah's belief that stealing is wrong is inconsistent with her actions of stealing the nail polish, which causes her to experience cognitive dissonance. To reduce this discomfort, she adjusts her attitude and becomes less harsh towards shoplifters.

Question 17

After much deliberation,you select a college to enroll yourself.After you have made your decision,you can reduce dissonance by _____ the chosen university and _____ the unchosen universities.

Accepted Answer

The best way to reduce dissonance is to upgrade the chosen university and downgrade the unchosen universities. By emphasizing the positive aspects of the chosen university, it creates a more positive attitude towards the decision, while downgrading the unchosen universities reinforces the idea that the decision was the best one.

Question 18

Cognitive dissonance theory was formulated by:

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory was formulated by Leon Festinger in 1957.

Question 19

Once we make a decision or choice,and feel some cognitive dissonance,we _____.

Accepted Answer

When we experience cognitive dissonance after making a decision, we tend to justify our choice by giving additional reasons for it. This helps reduce the discomfort associated with the dissonance.

Question 20

After spending a lot of time researching vehicles,Linda makes a purchase.After owning the vehicle for several months,she experiences dissonance and wonders if her choice was right.According to dissonance theory,we would expect Linda to reduce her dissonance by _____ the chosen vehicle and _____ the unchosen vehicles.

Accepted Answer

According to dissonance theory, Linda would reduce her dissonance by upgrading the chosen vehicle and downgrading the unchosen vehicles. This is because upgrading the chosen vehicle would make her feel like she made the right choice and downgrading the unchosen vehicles would make her feel like she made the right decision in not choosing them.

Quiz 4: Behavior and Attitudes