Pat smokes cigarettes and strongly believes that doing so is bad for one's health. On a health questionnaire, Pat initially answered "No" to the question, "Do you engage in any health-harming behaviours?" Pat felt uncomfortable with that answer and changed it to "Yes." Of the alternatives below, Pat's answer-changing behaviour best reflects the notion of:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that arises from holding two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. In this case, Pat's belief that smoking is bad for one's health is in conflict with their behavior of smoking cigarettes. To reduce this dissonance, Pat changed their answer on the health questionnaire to "Yes," which is consistent with their behavior.

Pat Smokes Cigarettes and Strongly Believes That Doing So Is