PS102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 65: Cognitive Dissonance
Document Summary
Cognitive dissonance - emotional discomfort as a result of holding contradictory beliefs or holding a belief that contradicts behaviour. We change our beliefs to justify (or match) our actions. Self-perception theory - when uncertain, we infer what our attitudes are by observing our own behaviour. Subjects who were paid . 00 for talking up the tasks reported the tasks to be more enjoyable than those who were paid . 00. Contradiction between behaviour and professional commitment to health. A theory suggesting that when people are uncertain of their own attitudes, they infer what their attitudes are by observing their own behaviour. Attitudes people express are not necessarily related to how they actually behave. Attitude specificity - the more specific an attitude, the more likely it is to predict behaviour. Attitude strength - stronger attitudes predict behaviour more accurately than weak or vague attitudes.
