Sometimes, the Psychological Phenomena We Are Trying to Measure Are

Essay

Sometimes, the psychological phenomena we are trying to measure are already abstract constructs (e.g., cognitive dissonance) that we are trying to approximate with written responses or observed behaviors. Developing unobtrusive or indirect measures of already abstract constructs can therefore be even more difficult (although nonetheless important). In a laboratory setting, how could you use unobtrusive measures to assess the extent to which a person is currently experiencing cognitive dissonance? Would this laboratory-based, unobtrusive measure of dissonance be equally valid in field settings - why or why not? In representative field settings (i.e., contexts with high ecological validity), is there a way you might be able to indirectly or unobtrusively determine whether people were in a dissonant state?