Exam 6: Cognitive Dissonance and the Need to Protect Our Self-Esteem

In an experiment by Takaku (2006) on road rage, when drivers went through a driving simulation in which they accidentally cut off another driver, and then were cut off themselves, they were quicker to __________.

In which case is lowballing LEAST likely to work?

According to the authors of your text, what is one of the most powerful determinants of human behavior?

Your friend teaches preschool, and there is one little boy in her class who is giving her fits. He is constantly misbehaving, throwing toys, threatening other children, and sometimes even physically attacking them. So far, her stern punishment has stopped his destructive behavior when she's there, but when she leaves the room or when a substitute fills in, he's back to his old ways. You suggest that she use dissonance to change his behavior permanently. What would you tell her?

If you wanted to make use of the concept of insufficient punishment, how would you discipline your child when she's misbehaving? Give the child a stern look and tell her __________.

Based on experiments presented in your text (Leippe & Eisenstadt, 1994; 1998), why did white participants experience dissonance after writing essays in favor of doubling scholarship funds for minority students?

Carl and Roger both had similar attitudes about cheating on a partner. However, both were faced with similar situations where they could have cheated on their partners. Now, Carl thinks that cheating is the worst offense one can make in a relationship, whereas Roger thinks that most people would cheat if they were faced with the situation. Explain what could have occurred, both socially and psychologically, that could produce such diverse positions from individuals who shared a similar stance.

Self-esteem refers to people's evaluations of their own __________.

Jacob was recently late to a meeting because of a traffic jam. Later, when his wife is late arriving home, Jacob is probably going to be __________, based on the idea of the hypocrisy induction.

According to cognitive dissonance theory, soldiers may reduce their guilt about killing innocent civilians during wartime by __________.

According to results of dissonance studies, who is more likely to believe that lying is truly a heinous, unconscionable, and unforgivable act?

Jacob interviewed for a job that was perfect for him. He received a call today telling him that he did not get the job. What is Jacob most likely to do now?

Based on experiments presented in your text (Leippe & Eisenstadt, 1994; 1998), when white participants experienced dissonance after writing essays in favor of doubling scholarship funds for minority students, how did many of them relieve the dissonance?

People who had already placed their two-dollar bets were more confident than people who were waiting in line to place their bets (Knox & Inkster, 1968). These findings suggest that decisions that are __________ generate more cognitive dissonance than decisions that are not.

Why does making a decision tend to generate dissonance, how is this dissonance reduced, and under what conditions is postdecisional dissonance reduction the greatest?

Who would be LEAST likely to remember sound and well-founded arguments against smoking?

The Ben Franklin effect is named for an incident in which Ben Franklin __________.

When our behavior conflicts with our attitudes, it can lead to __________.

"There's no way I'd give up drinking! I'd just be stressed out all the time," says Lilly, as she sips her third martini of the evening. Lilly's comments about her drinking habit are an example of using __________ to reduce cognitive dissonance.

In addition to the pull of charismatic leaders, the social support of fellow cult members, and the isolation of cult members from dissenting viewpoints, why else do cult members behave as they do?