1. Summary of this Study
In the field of psychology, few discoveries have had as much of an impact on our understanding of human motivation as the studies conducted by Leon Festinger on the theory of cognitive dissonance. Festinger proposed this theory in the 1950s in light of discoveries that, upon one’s behavior contrasting with one’s attitude, said person’s attitude will change in order to further align with his/her behavior.
Further inspiring Festinger’s studies were the findings that, upon the offering of monetary rewards to inspire greater attitude change, larger rewards produced less attitude change than smaller rewards (Hock, 2020).
Festinger put forward the belief that cognitive dissonance is created when two or more cognitions are psychologically inconsistent, which in turn leads to stress and discomfort that motivates a person to change something in order to reduce the inconsistency, i.e., their attitude (Hock, 2020).
Festinger went about testing his theory through studies conducted on freshman psychology students at a university. With the help of fellow psychologist Merrill Carlsmith, Festinger investigated whether having people perform a series of boring tasks would create cognitive dissonance by the way of forced compliance.
The two psychologists had a group of 71 male freshman students participate in the original 2-hour long study. The objective of the said study was kept from the students in order to avoid invalidating the results.
When the participants arrived at the laboratory, all they were told was the experiment itself would take a little over an hour, but due to the extra time, they would be interviewed by the psychology department about their experiences following the experiment. As the experiment began, the participants were asked to perform tedious endeavors for the full hour, such as emptying and refilling a tray of spoons continuously.
The objective of this part of the experiment was “intended to provide, for each participant uniformly, an experience about which he would have a somewhat negative opinion” (Hock, 2020). Following the hour of tasks, the students were split into three groups that were each treated under different conditions.
In summary, the first two groups were paid either $1 or $20 to lie and say the tasks were not boring, whereas the control group was paid nothing in order to see reactions without any influence. Upon viewing the results, the participants who were paid $1 lied about how exciting the experiment was more than the participants who were paid $20, whereas the control group ranged somewhere in between.
These findings fully supported Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance, which in his own words stated, “If a person is induced to do or say something that is contrary to his private opinion, there will be a tendency for him to change his opinion to bring it into correspondence with what he has said or done”, and that “The larger the pressure used to elicit the overt behavior, the weaker will be the above-mentioned tendency (Hock, 2020).”
The students who were only paid $1 did not feel adequate incentive to lie, therefore experiencing greater dissonance than the students who were paid $20. In order to overcome this perceived dissonance, the group that was paid $1 lied to the researchers and perhaps themselves that the tasks were very fun more than the group paid $20, who despite the monetary gain felt less reason to lie.
This study has helped peel back a layer of the human psyche that had not been adequately explored prior to the experiment and has opened the door for many findings in the decades that have followed. Research continues to build upon the foundational blocks set by Festinger so many decades ago.
2. Why I Chose This Study
I chose this study for the way in which reading about it made me reevaluate certain aspects of my life. I find it interesting to delve into what processes influence the way I live my everyday life, and in turn, apply that understanding to any future actions I undertake. I believe I can further apply the information I have learned in this study in the pursuit of living a healthier lifestyle.
According to many studies, the effects of cognitive dissonance can lead to anxiety, sadness, and “even influence how people feel about and view themselves, leading to negative feelings of self-esteem and self-worth” (Cherry, 2020).
As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression in the past, I believe I can learn to better deal with my negative feelings in the future by better recognizing what goes into these psychological pitfalls.
3. Importance of This Study
Many of us undergo cognitive dissonance with every passing day, as we often find ourselves carrying our behaviors that contrast with our beliefs at a fundamental level. By understanding the importance of cognitive dissonance in the field of psychology, we can apply it and better understand its role in how we act, think, and make decisions throughout our everyday life.
By taking this even further, we can use the knowledge gained by this experiment to combat negative actions people commit in everyday life. Some psychologists have applied their findings to people who smoke cigarettes.
By using the theory of cognitive dissonance, researchers helped to explain a crucial reason behind why cigarette smokers refuse to quit despite the negative health effects of smoking (Peretti-Watel., 2007).
By applying this knowledge, researchers have suggested that “Future tobacco control messages and interventions should specifically address these self-exempting beliefs that reduce smokers’ cognitive dissonance and then inhibit their willingness to quit” (Hock, 2020). This is but one example of the importance of cognitive dissonance in our everyday society.
4. Reference Page
HOCK, R. (2019). Emotion and Motivation, Thoughts Out of Tune. In FORTY STUDIES THAT CHANGED PSYCHOLOGY. PEARSON. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134897677/cfi/168!/4/2@100:0.00
Peretti-Watel, P., Halfen, S., & Gremy, I. (2007). Risk denial about smoking hazards and readiness to quit among French smokers: An exploratory study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16750305/
Cherry, K. (2020). Cognitive dissonance and ways to resolve it. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cognitive-dissonance-2795012#:~:text=Cognitive%20dissonance%20can%20even%20influence,%2C%20think%2C%20and%20make%20decisions.
Festinger, L., & Carlsmith, J. M. (2003). Cognitive consequences of forced compliance. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1960-01158-001
