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Reading and Resources12.html

Library Article: Back to the future: Retrospective review of Leon Festinger’s A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance This article gives an overview of the topic of cognitive dissonance and introduces you to its founder, Leon Festinger. 

Library Article: The Psychological Effects of Insufficient Rewards This article addresses a key aspect of cognitive dissonance and how it relates to attitude change.

Learning Aid: Ten Classic Studies Learning Aid PDF This learning aid provides 10 classic studies with hyperlinks to the references in the Shapiro Library. You are required to choose one classic study from this learning aid for completion of Final Project Milestone One: Study Selection and Summary.

Module Overview2.html

Cognitive Dissonance

Introduction and Overview

Did you recently go to the department store and make a large purchase? Did you feel some tension or regret about the money you spent? If so, you have experienced what psychologists call cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is a tension that you feel in your mind when you engage in a behavior that leaves you with two opposing beliefs (Kassin et al., 2021). This concept can be a bit confusing at first, so let’s take a closer look at it. Say, for example, that you are a person with good self-esteem and you generally feel that you make wise spending decisions. Today, you spent $800 on a new mattress. After this purchase, you are now holding two opposing thoughts: The first is that you are a good person and you don’t waste money; the second is that you just spent a whole lot of money on a new mattress. The tension that is created by these two thoughts is called cognitive dissonance (Kassin et al., 2021).

Real-World Relevance

The action-based model extends the original theory of cognitive dissonance by proposing why cognitive inconsistency causes both dissonance and dissonance reduction (Harmon-Jones, 2015). The model begins by assuming that many perceptions and cognitions automatically impel us to act in specific ways. It then posits that the negative affective state of dissonance is aroused not by all cognitive conflict but, specifically, when cognitions with action implications are in conflict with each other, making it difficult to act. The dissonance signals to the organism that there is a problem and that the cognitive inconsistency needs to be resolved so that behavior can occur (Harmon-Jones, 2015).

Early Research

The theory of cognitive dissonance emerged in 1959 when Leon Festinger and James Carlsmith experimented with their now-famous $1, $20 theory on external justification (Kassin et al., 2021). Festinger and Carlsmith asked people to carry out a simple and boring task for a short period of time. After the task was completed, the experimenter asked the participant to tell a stranger that they loved the task and that it was interesting. This was a lie, which created cognitive dissonance. Some participants were paid $1 to tell this lie, while others were paid $20 to do so. Do you think the money they were paid changed how they actually felt about the task? How do you think the money affected their level of cognitive dissonance?

Current Directions

After the inception of cognitive dissonance theory, recent research has included cognitive dissonance as an important element related to social comparison and social verification (Hillman et al., 2022). Social verification theory seeks to recontextualize various existing theories as functions of people’s perceptions of their consistency with those around them. This theory posits that people seek social consistency for both epistemic and relational needs and that social inconsistency is both negative and aversive, similar to the experience of cognitive dissonance. We further posit that the aversive nature of perceiving social inconsistency leads people to engage in various behaviors to mitigate or avoid these inconsistencies. When these behaviors fail, however, people experience chronic social inconsistency, which, much like chronic rejection, is associated with physical and mental health and well-being outcomes (Hillman et al., 2022).

References

Harmon-Jones, E., Harmon-Jones, C., & Levy, N. (2015). An action-based model of cognitive-dissonance processes. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(3).

Hillman, J. G, Fowlie, D. I., & MacDonald, T. K. (2022). Social verification theory: A new way to conceptualize validation, dissonance, and belonging. Personality and Social Psychology Review. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/10888683221138384

Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H.R. (2021). Social psychology (11th ed.). Cengage.

Graduate Discussion Rubric.html

Graduate Discussion Rubric

Overview

Your active participation in the discussions is essential to your overall success this term. Discussion questions will help you make meaningful connections between the course content and the larger concepts of the course. These discussions give you a chance to express your own thoughts, ask questions, and gain insight from your peers and instructor.

Directions

For each discussion, you must create one initial post and follow up with at least two response posts.

For your initial post, do the following:

• Write a post of 1 to 2 paragraphs.
• In Module One, complete your initial post by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
• In Modules Two through Ten, complete your initial post by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
• Consider content from other parts of the course where appropriate. Use proper citation methods for your discipline when referencing scholarly or popular sources.

For your response posts, do the following:

• Reply to at least two classmates outside of your own initial post thread.
• In Module One, complete your two response posts by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
• In Modules Two through Ten, complete your two response posts by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
• Demonstrate more depth and thought than saying things like “I agree” or “You are wrong.” Guidance is provided for you in the discussion prompt.

Discussion Rubric

Reading and Resources12.html

Library Article: Back to the future: Retrospective review of Leon Festinger’s A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance This article gives an overview of the topic of cognitive dissonance and introduces you to its founder, Leon Festinger. 

Library Article: The Psychological Effects of Insufficient Rewards This article addresses a key aspect of cognitive dissonance and how it relates to attitude change.

Learning Aid: Ten Classic Studies Learning Aid PDF This learning aid provides 10 classic studies with hyperlinks to the references in the Shapiro Library. You are required to choose one classic study from this learning aid for completion of Final Project Milestone One: Study Selection and Summary.