Aronson and Mettee's Main Hypothesis Is That Persons Who Experience

Aronson and Mettee's main hypothesis is that persons who experience lowered self-esteem will be more likely to cheat than persons who experience heightened self-esteem. The major assumption underlying this prediction is that:

A) dishonest behavior is inconsistent with high self-esteem, and people strive for cognitive consistency.
B) persons who are most susceptible to having their self-esteem lowered are already predisposed to engage in cheating behavior.
C) persons with high self-esteem never cheat because they have "more to lose" and little to gain by cheating.
D) low self-esteem creates an attitude of "I have nothing to lose," so that persons with low self-esteem are more likely to risk being caught cheating.