Recall That Aronson and Carlsmith (1963) Told Preschoolers That They

Multiple Choice

Recall that Aronson and Carlsmith (1963) told preschoolers that they were not allowed to play with a toy that the children had already rated as more attractive than other toys. Half of the children were threatened with mild punishment if they disobeyed, and the other half with severe punishment. When the experimenter left the room, none of the children played with the forbidden toy. When the experimenter returned and asked the children to rate all the toys again, those children who received __________.

A) mild threats reduced their dissonance by rating the forbidden toy as less attractive than before
B) severe threats increased their dissonance by rating the forbidden toy as more attractive than before
C) mild threats increased their dissonance by rating the toy as more attractive than before
D) severe threats reduced their dissonance by rating the toy as less attractive than before