PSYC 3100 1st Edition Lecture 11Outline of Last Lecture I. Preliminary Remarks II. Why is it so Interesting? III. My Plan IV. Terms and Concepts V. Cognitive Dissonance: What is it? VI. Point of Note VII. What determines its Magnitude VIII. Smoking Example IX. Recall X. Four Options XI. Stated Differently XII. Quick Version (“Dissonance for Dummies”) XIII. Research Paradigms XIV. Paradigm I: Forced Compliance XV. Forced Compliance: Variation XVI. Festinger and Carlsmith Outline of Current Lecture I. Festinger and CarlsmithII. Cohen III. Paradigm II: Free Choice IV. Free Choice V. Example 1 VI. Example 2 VII. Example 3 VIII. Something to Think About IX. Familiar Experiences X. Reatance: Preliminary Remarks XI. Reactance: What is it? XII. Important Distinction XIII. What The Theory Does Not Say Current Lecture I. Festinger and Carlsmith 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.- RESULT: Ratings were higher in the $1 (high dissonance) condition than inthe $20 (low dissonance) condition. Those in the $20 condition were no different from those in a control condition in which participants did not assert that the study was interesting. - Participants should feel worse in the weaker condition($1). They changed their thinking in order to not feel as bad. In the $20 condition, there is no difference. II. Cohen - Yale University- wanted to take dissonance outside of the lab. Cohen decided to use dissonance process to alter attitudes. The experiment was done in the 1960s. The purpose of the study was to turn negative attitudes about campus policemen into positive attitudes.- Assessed student attitudes toward police officers at the beginning of a semester.- Invited students with most negative attitudes to participate in an essay-writing study.- Participants were asked to write a favorable essay about the police, and offered $.50, $1, $5, or $10 for doing so.- After writing their essay, participants completed a questionnaire that included a measure that re-assessed their attitude toward the police.- The students who experienced the most dissonance were the ones offered $.50 for their essay. They had to convince themselves that cops were not so bad after all. The participants in the $10 group were less likely to change their beliefs about cops and the participants in the $.50 were more likely to change their beliefs. - The higher the value, the greater the attitude change favorable to the police.III. Paradigm II: Free Choice - Participants put in position where they must choose between two mutually exclusive alternatives that are (1) more or less comparable invalue, or (2) more or less similar in terms of their attributes (i.e., characteristics).- Investigators measure some outcome that reflects belief alignment.- If you choose 1, you cannot have the other 1 or other set of options. - Values are usually the same but have different characteristics.- Dissonance occurs when you regret choosing an option.- If you make a decision and you do not lose a lot, then you will not experience much dissonance. If you make a decision and you do lose a lotthen you will experience a greater amount of dissonance. IV. Free Choice - Investigators assume that dissonance is generated by the decision to reject one of the alternatives.- They assume further that rejection is dissonant with all uniquely favorable qualities of the rejected alternative- These assumptions suggest that dissonance should increase:- the higher the value of the rejected alternative relative to the chosen alternative, and - the less similar the rejected alternative is to the chosen alternative in terms of its attributes. - In technical terms, the weight of the dissonant information [Σ (dissonant cognitions x importance)] should increase to the degree that the rejected alternative has uniquely favorable qualities.- Less overlapping characteristics will lead to more dissonance. - Example: Choosing a yacht over a row boat. They have similar characteristics but different values. If you choose the yacht, you will experience less dissonance. You do not lost much dissonance when there are similar characteristics.- In aligning their beliefs with their action (i.e., their choice), participants should try to convince themselves that:- qualities of the chosen alternative are especially favorable and/or personally important, and- qualities of the rejected alternative are not so favorable and/or personallyimportant.- Thus, the broad expectation is that dissonance will lead people to (1) elevate value of chosen alternative, and (2) lower value of rejected alternative.V. Example 1 - Maria secretly dates two guys, (Brilliant) Brad and (Dorky) Don.- The guys have a mix of qualities to offer; Brad offers more on all important dimensions.- Eventually, the guys find out and force her to decide.- She rejects Don.- Should she experience much dissonance? NO.- How does she feel about Don after breakup? She feels about the same since she did not experience much dissonance. VI. Example 2 - Brad eventually dumps Maria.- In her grief, she ends up dating another pair of guys, (Mighty) Mike and (Sensitive) Sam.- Each guy offers something different; however, she values the guys roughlyto the same degree.- Eventually, the guys find out.- She rejects Sam.- Should she experience much dissonance? YES!- Maria had all her needs met with the physical attributes of mighty Mike and sensitive Sam, but since she chose Mike over Sam, not all of her relationship needs are met. She will experience dissonance because they are in equal value, but she loses all attributes of Sam. - Since she experiences dissonance, it is likely that Maria will appraise Sam afterwards and “run him into the dirt” so to speak. She will also go on to exclaim how wonderful Mike is.VII. Example 3 - Maria gets bored and starts seeing a new guy on the side, (Hunky) Henry.- Both Mike and Henry are one-dimensional and offer about the same amount on that dimension.- Eventually, the guys find out.- She rejects Henry.- Should she experience much dissonance? NO. - She does not experience dissonance because the characteristic of the twomen are the same and they have equal attributes.VIII. Something To Think About - Have you ever been dumped?- If so, did this person like you just as much after