At Nicholas' High School, a Rumor Was Spread That the Principal

Multiple Choice

At Nicholas' high school, a rumor was spread that the principal was having an affair with one of the teachers. Although Nicholas didn't believe the rumor at first, the more he heard the rumor repeated, the more he accepted it as a fact. This is an example of:

A) the familiarity effect.
B) brainwashing.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) the validity effect.