Exam 7: Attitudes, Behavior, and Rationalization

Kitayama and colleagues (2004) conducted an investigation comparing cognitive dissonance across Japanese and Canadian participants. All participants were asked to rank CDs. Participants in one condition were asked to choose one CD to keep among their middle two rankings, while participants in another condition were given a CD without choice. While completing these study procedures one group of participants was exposed to a poster with faces, designed to prime the concept of other people. Results showed that the poster manipulation ________ cognitive dissonance for ________ participants.

Laureano has a strong preference for Honda over all other car brands. When it came time to buy a new car, there was a promotion on Nissans and Laureano elected to buy one, even though he likes Hondas better. According to the research described in the textbook, why would this scenario increase dissonance in the wake of Laureano's attitude-inconsistent behavior?

Theories that emphasize uniformity between the components of attitudes and between attitudes and behavior are called ________ theories.

In the 1930s, a time when anti-Asian sentiments were common, Richard LaPiere toured the United States with a young Chinese couple. Together they visited numerous hotels, auto camps, restaurants, and cafes. LaPiere compared the attitudes of people who managed these various establishments with how well (or poorly) these people actually treated the Chinese couple. The text used this study to introduce an important point, namely, that the effect of ________ than people think.

Cognitive dissonance theory and self-perception theory differ in that self-perception theory emphasizes that ________ influence(s) our attitudes.

Michelle just watched a film that showed several high-speed chases on city streets. On her way home from the theater, she drives much faster than normal. This example best illustrates that

Lucy's family is poor. Although they wish they were more prosperous, they take comfort in the love and support they provide to each other and consider themselves quite happy. As a result, Lucy's family does not endorse proposed changes to the laws that would provide them with better health insurance. Their behavior can be explained by ________ theory.

After doing poorly on his biology exam, Jim reminds himself that he is a good artist and a loving boyfriend. Thus, Jim is using ________ to cope with a potential threat to his self-esteem.

Research on cognitive dissonance teaches a broad and important lesson about how to influence someone else's attitudes. Specifically, if you want people to ________ the broader value or message behind what you got them to do, then you should use the ________ amount of incentive or coercion necessary to induce compliance.

Bradley narrowly escapes a head-on collision while driving from home. Once he arrives, he turns on the television and sees a political ad for the challenger in the local mayoral race, which focuses on how the challenger will change city policies if elected. According to research on terror management, how will he evaluate this ad?

Lenora's parents always taught her that she ought to "put on a happy face" even when she is not. According to research on self-perception theory, what effect does this behavior have on her corresponding internal state?

Recall that Festinger and Carlsmith gave participants either $1 or $20 for telling others that an experiment was fun and interesting. The experiment entailed turning pegs on a pegboard one quarter turn at a time. Thus, in actuality, the experiment was tedious and boring. Study results showed that

Challenge the assumption that the experience of cognitive dissonance emerges in similar ways across cultures.

Your friend asks you for advice on how she can encourage her son to clean his room regularly. Generate a plan, based on the principle of insufficient justification, to get her son to clean his room more often. How can she avoid the overjustification effect?

Induced compliance is a form of behavior that

What are self-affirmations and how can they be used to ward off cognitive dissonance?

For obvious reasons, department store managers strongly disapprove of shoplifters. However, some stores allow shoplifters to leave with merchandise! These stores do not want to create a scene that will disturb good patrons. This scenario illustrates the social psychological finding that

According to research on cognitive dissonance theory, people betting on horses at the racetrack should feel ________ after placing their bets than before placing their bets.

Why is it a good idea for incumbent politicians to campaign for maintaining the safety and security of their countries?

Although Quan believes that child safety is important, he often forgets to use a car seat when taking his toddler to day care. What does this best illustrate about the relationship between attitudes and behavior?