Inducing Cognitive Dissonance

Rate the following statements from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree):

World hunger is a serious problem that needs attention.

Our country needs to address the growing number of homeless.

Our government should spend less money on wars and more on helping citizens better their lives.

Inducing Cognitive Dissonance

Answer the following questions with yes or no:

Do you personally do anything to lessen world hunger (e.g., frequently donate money or food or write your representative)?

Do you personally do anything to help the homeless (e.g., volunteer at a homeless shelter or frequently donate money)?

Do you personally convey your feelings about military spending to the government (e.g., by writing your representative or by participating in protests/marches)?

Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance Experiment

Suppose you had volunteered to participate in a psychology experiment on campus. Upon arrival, you were seated at a table and asked to undertake a series of dull, meaningless tasks for about an hour. Afterward, the experimenter asked you to convince other potential participants by describing the tasks as highly worthwhile, interesting, and educational. You were paid either $1 or $20 to do this. Suppose you were then asked to privately rate your enjoyment of the tasks on a questionnaire. After which amount do you believe your actual enjoyment rating of the tasks would be higher - $1 or $20?

Questions

1) Define cognitive dissonance 2) How did the inconsistencies on the

previous questions make you feel? 3) How might someone reduce cognitive

dissonance? 4) Explain Festinger’s famous cognitive

dissonance experiment