Festinger and Carlsmith (1959)asked participants to perform a boring task and then paid them either 20 dollars or 1 dollar to lie to the next participant by telling them that the study was enjoyable.Afterwards they asked participants to rate how much they liked the task.The 'surprising' finding from Festinger and Carlsmith's study was:
A) The participants paid $20 reported liking the task more than those paid $1.
B) The participants paid $1 reported liking the task more than those paid $20.
C) Those paid $20 reported the same level of liking as participants paid $1.
D) The participants paid $20 really liked the task but lied to researchers about their level of enjoyment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The participants paid $1 reported liking the task more than those paid $20 because of cognitive dissonance. They could not justify lying for just $1 unless they convinced themselves the task was more enjoyable, thus reducing the dissonance between their actions and beliefs.

Festinger and Carlsmith (1959)asked Participants to Perform a Boring Task