In Festinger and Carlsmith's (1959) classic study on cognitive dissonance, which involved participants engaging in a boring task with wooden pegs, one group was paid $1 to lie about how fun the task was. This group subsequently changed their attitude about the task to one that was much more positive, compared to another group that was paid $20 to lie. What BEST explains the more positive attitude of the group that was paid $1?

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The $1 group experienced cognitive dissonance because the small reward was not sufficient to justify their lying, leading them to change their attitudes to align with their actions, as they couldn't find external justification for their behavior.

In Festinger and Carlsmith's (1959) Classic Study on Cognitive Dissonance