PSYC 11762 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Cognitive Dissonance, Social Influence, Groupthink

• School: Kent State University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 11762
• Professor: Christopher Flessner

Document Summary

Tendency to attribute the behavior of others to internal disposition rather than to situations, people tend to blame or credit the person more than the situation, attitude. Belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people and events: attitudes can affect action. Our attitudes predict our behaviors imperfectly because other factors including the external situation also influence behavior: actions can affect attitudes. Not only do people stand for what they believe [attitude] in, but they start believing in what they stand for: small request > large request, another method of compliance, door-in-the-face phenomenon. After disagreeing to a large initial request, a person is more likely to agree to something that seems less expensive, painstaking, etc: actions can affect attitudes. One explanation is that when our attitudes and actions are opposed, we experience tension, called cognitive dissonance: cognitive dissonance, role playing affects attitudes.