Recall that Aronson and Carlsmith (1963) told preschoolers that they were not allowed to play with a toy that the children had already rated as more attractive than other toys. Half of the children were threatened with mild punishment if they disobeyed, and the other half with severe punishment. When the experimenter left the room, none of the children played with the forbidden toy. When the experimenter returned and asked the children to rate all the toys again, those children who received __________.
A) mild threats reduced their dissonance by rating the forbidden toy as less attractive than before
B) severe threats increased their dissonance by rating the forbidden toy as more attractive than before
C) mild threats increased their dissonance by rating the toy as more attractive than before
D) severe threats reduced their dissonance by rating the toy as less attractive than before

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the theory of cognitive dissonance, when people are forced to do something or say something that is inconsistent with their beliefs or attitudes, they experience discomfort or dissonance. To reduce this discomfort, they may change their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. In this case, the children were asked to rate the toys again after being forbidden to play with the previously rated most attractive toy. Those who received mild threats would have reduced their dissonance by changing their beliefs about the forbidden toy, so they would rate it as less attractive than before. This is consistent with the theory of cognitive dissonance and supports choice A as the correct answer.

Recall That Aronson and Carlsmith (1963) Told Preschoolers That They