In the classic study by Festinger & Carlsmith (1959), some people were given $1 and others were given $20 for describing a chore as interesting when it was in fact not. What was this a study in?

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This was a study in cognitive dissonance, which is the psychological discomfort experienced by a person when they hold inconsistent beliefs, attitudes, or values. In the study, participants who were paid only $1 were experiencing cognitive dissonance because they were saying that the boring task was interesting in order to justify their behavior of lying and receiving such a low reward. This discomfort may have led them to change their attitudes to align with their behavior.

In the Classic Study by Festinger & Carlsmith (1959), Some