Monday, March 19, 2007
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Cognitive Dissonance Theory deals with the feeling that people sometimes get when they find that they are doing something that they know they shouldn't, or when they have an opinion that totally contradicts their other opinions. It also talks about how this "dissonance" encourages us to change our behavior or our attitude so we don't feel that tension. The theory says that whether our behavior or our attitude changes depends on which one is least resistant to change. Also, the main theorist, Festinger, came up with three hypotheses for the theory. The first is about selective exposure, the idea that we avoid information that will increase our dissonance. We also hang out with people that will confirm our beliefs and listen only to opinions that support our attitudes. This reminded me of a good example. When I left Malone to come to Kent State, I started hanging out with people who were also going to be transferring once the year was over. I stopped going to activities that I had been involved with at Malone because I didn't want to hear good things that would suggest I was making the wrong decision by leaving. The second hypothesis says that when we do feel dissonance after making a decision or behaving in a certain way, we seek out reassurance from others. In my Malone example, this is when I sought out people who would tell me I was doing the right thing by going to Kent. I talked to my friends at home all the time just to hear them tell me things would be better once I left Malone. The third hypothesis deals with minimal justification, and the idea that changing behavior can change an attitude, and a minimum incentive is all that is needed to stimulate changing attitudes. I couldn't think of how this would fit into my Malone example, but the example the book gives reminded me of something I could tie this into. In class, we are allowed to create notecards for each chapter we read and when the test comes we are allowed to use them. This is a small incentive to read, but because the notecards can be so helpful on the test, it influences students to continue reading.
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