After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
- Describe the theory of cognitive dissonance. Discuss the conditions that elicit dissonance and what strategies we use to reduce dissonance.
- Identify the consequences of making important decisions. Define postdecision dissonance. Explain how changing our attitudes after a decision serves to reduce dissonance.
- Identify the role played by the permanence of decisions in producing dissonance. Define “lowballing” and explain why the technique is effective.
- Describe the effects of deciding to behave morally or immorally on the experience of dissonance and the reduction of dissonance.
- Define what is meant by justification of effort. Identify the consequences of working hard to attain something worthless and the importance of volunteering such effort.
- Distinguish between internal and external justification. Define counter-attitudinal advocacy. Describe the effects of inducing counter-attitudinal advocacy with minimum external justification.
- Explain how insufficient punishment leads to self-persuasion. Describe the effects of self-persuasion on behavior.
- Discuss the effects of doing favors for people we don’t like and the effects of harming others. Identify the causes and consequences of dehumanizing victims.
- Discuss evidence for a physiological component of dissonance.
- Define a “rationalization trap.” How can we avoid it? Describe the relationship between self-affirmation and the rationalization trap.
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