COMM 318 19th Lecture Lecture 19 Outline of Last Lecture I. Unreasoned Influences on Behavior Outline of Current Lecture II. Balance & Dissonance Theories Current Lecture(19)Wednesday, January 16, yBALANCE & DISSONANCE THEORIESI. Commitment & ConsistencyA. take car home and test outB. free trial offerC. sign on the dotted line please D. say it out loud II. Consistency Theory AssumptionsA. there is a strong tendency for people to maintain consonance (consistency) among the elements of a cognitive system1. consistency is adaptive B. inconsistency causes the feeling of discomfort and motivates the resolution of the inconsistency 1. inconsistency is seen as undesirable in others (hypocrisy) C. commitment is key1. commitment activates our need for consistency III. Balance TheoryA. we prefer balanced statesB. imbalance makes us feel awkward/uncomfortableC. imbalance structures gravitate toward regaining balanceD. deals with perceptions of links between yourself and two other elements 1. +=PRO2. -=CONE. determining whether a system is balanced1. multiply all of the values assigned to the three relationsa) when the product is +1, the system is balanced b) when the product is -1, the system is imbalanced2. balance occurs when you agree with a person you like and disagree with a per-son you dislike These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.3. imbalance occurs when you agree with a person you dislike and disagree with the person you like F. procedures for eliminating imbalance1. reverse the sign of one of the paths2. change the sign of a path to a null relation (it doesn’t matter)3. differentiate the positive and negative attributes of an object or person (there is more to it)G. applying balance theory1. make audience aware of imbalancea) provide a means to regain balance 2. make audience aware of balancea) notion of balance should reinforce attitudes or behavior IV. Cognitive Dissonance Theory A. assumptions about human cognition:1. people have a need for cognitive consistency 2. when cognitive inconsistency exists, people experience psychological discomforta) psychological discomfort=dissonance3. psychological discomfort motivates people to resolve the inconsistency and re-store cognitive balance B. types of relations among cognitive elements1. irrelevanta) two cognitions have nothing to do with each otherb) it’s raining outside, my favorite color is purple2. consonanta) one cognitive element follows from the otherb) it’s raining outside, I should drive with caution 3. dissonant a) one cognitive element is inconsistent with the other b) I hate people who smoke, as I smoke a cigaretteC. consonance & dissonance 1. consonance: exists when two or more cognitions are consistent with one an-othera) i’m good at math, I am on the math team2. dissonance: exists when two or more cognitions are inconsistent with on an-othera) i’m not good at basketball, i’m on the basketball teamb) the greater the dissonance, the greater the motivation to reduce itc) the magnitude of dissonance is determined by:(1) the importance of the dissonant elements 3. Festinger & Carlsmith studya) participants performed a VERY dull task(1) turning pegs on a board for a long period of timeb) told the experimenter didn’t show up, and they needed to introduce the study to the next participant(1) were required to say that the study was fun and excitingc) participants pad $1 (low justification) or $25 (high justification)d) introducing dull task as exciting creates dissonancee) however, amount of money they were paid affected perceptions(1) participants receiving $1 had little external justification for their behaviorwhereas those receiving $20 could easily justify their behaviorf) researchers hypothesized that to reduce their dissonance, those receiving $1 (low justification) would change their attitudes more than participants re-ceiving $20 (high justification)(1) findings were consistent with these expectations D. methods for reducing dissonance 1. change the cognitive element related to the behavior (the decision)2. change the cognitive element related to the attitude 3. add a new cognitive