In one study, researchers recruited single, sexually active student volunteers to take part in a campaign (actually the experimental manipulation)supposedly designed to get other students who were just becoming sexually active to practice safe sex. The volunteers were asked to develop a persuasive speech about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)and safer sex that was then videotaped. Researchers found that the students who made the taped speeches were more likely to use condoms, a finding that is consistent with ____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The finding is consistent with cognitive dissonance theory, which suggests that when individuals experience inconsistency (dissonance) between their attitudes or beliefs and their behaviors, they are motivated to reduce the dissonance. In this case, making a public commitment to safe sex practices through the speeches likely led the students to align their behaviors (using condoms) with their publicly stated beliefs to reduce dissonance.

In One Study, Researchers Recruited Single, Sexually Active Student Volunteers