ipl-logo

Importance Of Cognitive Dissonance

2418 Words10 Pages

This essays seeks to discuss and explore the importance of cognitive dissonance on understanding choices. Peoples personal choices in life can often be difficult to understand. Leading economic theories state that choices merely reflect an individual's preferences, however the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance puts forward that in fact the choices people make create these preferences.Festinger's work on cognitive dissonance allows us to examine the choices people make and develop rationalisations as to why they chose to act in this way. In this essay I will examine Festinger's ideas and theories on cognitive dissonance and use social psychology experiments to explore them in regards to choice; specifically by examining how …show more content…

When one chooses between two alternatives of similar value, people often immediately experience a state of post decisional dissonance. If one must choose to eat an ice cream or a bar of chocolate; post decision, the unchosen option immediately becomes more prevalent in the mind. As people wonder if the right choice has been made. To remove this feeling of dissonance the value of the ice cream and the chocolate bar are reevaluated. The chosen element either becomes more attractive in the mind or the other unchosen element is devalued . This comes about as a result of the effort justification paradigm. This describes the tendency of people to give a higher valuation to an action that involved putting some form of effort into achieving a …show more content…

This idea is seen most clearly in Cooper and Axiom's 1982 study using an assisted weight loss program (Axsom & Cooper, 1985). Two groups of women looking to lose weight were studied. The high effort group was on the first meeting give a challenge of completing difficult and tedious tasks such as reading tongue twisters aloud for 45 minutes and other actions requiring large amounts of psychological effort. The low effort group were by comparison given simple tasks that were shorter and easier. The control group were simply weighed and given no tasks to complete. The women completed the experiment five times over a course of three weeks and were weighed on completion of the experiment, It was found that those who had partaken in the high effort group lost more weight than those in the other two groups. The women were then weighed again in 6 months after the experiment to ensure accurate results. 9% of the high effort group had lost more weight while only 39% of the low effort group had done the same. They concluded that the women in the high effort group achieved their goals due to the need to reduce dissonace about the amount of effort

Show More
Related
1091 Words | 5 Pages

The author states that the one of the many flaws in a democracy is the fact that people have the right to vote without having knowledge on the subject. He understands that people make decisions based off their morals, not on the knowledge they have on a subject. Keohane adds that as a self-defense mechanism people, when they are faced with a mental conflict that occurs where their beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information; this is called cognitive dissonance. He goes on to explain the theory of motivated reasoning, which is where people have two facts presented to them where one fact contradicts their principals, and they end up choosing the fact that is closest to their ideals. According to Keohane people with higher self-esteem are more likely to acknowledge new information than people with insecurities.

Read More
288 Words | 2 Pages

The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787. Yet, the government it created couldn’t rule over people’s lives until one more step was taken. Each state had to vote to ratify1 , or approve of it. By 1789, eleven states had ratified the new government.

Read More
892 Words | 4 Pages

Each week builds on education materials from prior weeks. The group is lead through decisional balance exercises. For instance, asking the Veterans to give positive reasons to lose weight and writing it down on the board with a separate column listing the hard and unpleasant things about losing weight. The dietitian notes the process and how the group had easier time generating first list; yet despite clear benefits, weight management is a struggle. The effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI) relies on allowing the patients to discover their own reasons and determination to change a behavior.

Read More
519 Words | 3 Pages

These economic concepts were scarcity and choice and self -interest. The first economic concept of scarcity and choice is seen when the authors discuss money as a limited resource. The limited resources which in this case is money by incomes that cause people to decline health insurance coverage. According to Sered and Fernandopulle, it is an individual’s choice not to get any health insurance because they cannot afford it. Sometimes it comes down to choosing to pay their bills or have proper health coverage.

Read More
440 Words | 2 Pages

In “The Choice Explosion” by David Brooks, the author describes the state of decision-making skills and how they have affected life in recent years, specifically in America. Brooks begins with a description of a social psychology experiment on Japanese and American college students and the decisions they wanted to make for themselves. The results showed that the American students wanted to decide in four times more areas than the Japanese students. Brooks then makes the conclusion that this is the result of American individualism; this individualism has provided more choice and control over everyday life. However, the author also points out that arriving at good outcomes is no easy task, even for qualified decision makers.

Read More
478 Words | 2 Pages

E.L Tarbox made ankle weights in 1970, to see how weight could affect running speed, and athletic performance. E.L. Tarbox wanted a solution for quick weight loss, so he figured out the added weights will make the body pump more blood and work harder, breaking more cells, and make your muscles more in fatigue. His conclusion led to him figuring out that with temporary weight, the body muscles work harder, so when the weight is removed, you have stronger muscles, and his experiment was a success. My project can make the world a better place, by showing that if people can lose a certain amount of weight, they can feel less weighed down, and overall, just better. A similar science fair project to mine is: “How does weight effect jumping distance”

Read More
933 Words | 4 Pages

Many women came together to achieve

Read More
478 Words | 2 Pages

Derek also provides an example of Hypothesis 2: Post decision dissonance creates a need for reassurance. Festinger defines post decision dissonance as “ strong doubts experienced after making an important decision” (Griffin, et al). Derek experiences strong post decision dissonance after leaving the Aryan Brotherhood. When he leaves one of the members tells him that he will be punished. This causes dissonance within Derek, he wonders if he made the right decision, and he feels regret almost.

Read More
1145 Words | 5 Pages

This eventually leads her to challenge her self concepts to extreme levels, causing her to either liberate herself from the façade she created or sink into the role. Easy A describes many genuine psychological phenomena and I am going to focus on three of them; Cognitive dissonance theory, how societal and cultural norms dictate our attitudes and thoughts, and different ways of persuasion. The cognitive dissonance theory is the feeling of unease that is felt when we act in opposition to our attitudes, which causes a shift of attitude in order to be consistent with our behavior. Easy A depicts strongly the theory of cognitive dissonance on numerous occasions.

Read More
1454 Words | 6 Pages

Without a doubt, the legacy of Newcomb’s paradox remains prevalent in the contemporary era. Essentially, the paradox brings to attention a striking conflict between two particular intuitions in regards to decision-making. Furthermore, it points out that what may appear to be the most rational choice could actually bring about a worse outcome than what may appear to be the irrational choice. Most importantly, the paradox incites a sense of ambiguity and raises questions about the degree of free will in the case of decision making. Throughout this essay, I will be detailing the paradox’s various components and analyzing it’s two unique approaches in order to ultimately argue that the choice to one-box yields more reward in the end.

Read More
758 Words | 4 Pages

INTRODUCTION Self-Determination Theory (SDT) was conceived by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. This theory is concerned with human motivation, personality, and optimal functioning. For the purpose of SDT and work motivation, motivation is considered the core of biological, cognitive, and social regulation. Instead of just looking at the amount of motivation, self-determination theory focuses on different types of motivation.

Read More
701 Words | 3 Pages

INTRODUCTION: Attention Step: According to the article “Exercise Makes You Younger,” “Research shows that physical inactivity can cause premature death as well as chronic disease and disability" (54). Establish Need/Relevance: Nowadays technology and busy work schedules have prevented many people from including exercise into their daily activities. Many people think that it is too time consuming and rather not work

Read More
900 Words | 4 Pages

Cognitive dissonance is the sense of mental disorganization or imbalance that may prompt a person to change when new information conflicts with previously organized thought patterns. The text states, “The incompatibly between your behavior and your new knowledge will make you feel uncomfortable” (381). I have experienced cognitive dissonance when preparing for an exam. For instance, I will not study or not study as well as I should for a test. Then when I receive my test back or my score is posted, I realize that I really should have studied a lot harder.

Read More
1716 Words | 7 Pages

Therefore, finding an explanation through psychology, for the different specific reactions that human beings exhibit is important. Social psychology is an important sector of psychology that takes interpersonal relationships into consideration. Over the years, many theories have been developed to aid in explaining human behavior, especially ones that administer social experiences. The main focus of this assignment is the analysis of the cognitive dissonance theory in social psychology. Cognitive dissonance theory attempts to explain the human behavior through cognition, in which individuals always look for stability in their attitudes and behaviors (Festinger, 1985).

Read More
795 Words | 4 Pages

Cognitive dissonance refers to a “feeling of discomfort resulting from inconsistent attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors” (West

Read More

More about Importance Of Cognitive Dissonance

Related Topics

Open Document