PSY220H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Cognitive Dissonance, Milgram Experiment, Motivation
8 Oct 2018
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Document Summary
We tend to accept information that supports our pre-existing notion while opposing arguments are subject to scrutiny and criticism: confirmation bias. We remember strong and compelling arguments that support our side and the weak arguments of the opposing side. The particular issue in this study: the effectiveness of capital punishment as deterrent to murder. All the participants in this study are either strongly supportive of capital punishment or they"re strongly opposed. They wanted to know what would happen if these groups were presented with information (fake) of research studies looking at the effectiveness of capital punishment as an effective deferent to murder. They get mixed findings (effective deterrent vs not). This was the hypothesis, that it would increase polarization. And this would happen as a result of biased assimilation processes: Memory: recalling arguments that are in favor of their position and disregarding other info. Judgment: looking at the soundness of the research.
