Question 1

Consider the findings from a study by Peterson,Haynes,and Olson (2008)in which smokers were asked to create an anti-smoking video to be shown to high school students,thereby invoking dissonance in the smokers.Based on the findings about which participants were most likely to intend to quit smoking,who do you think would be most likely to reduce dissonance by changing his or her behavior?

Accepted Answer

A) Cassie,who has smoked since she was twelve. 
B) Renae,who has very low self-esteem. 
C) Tim,who has high self-esteem. 
D) Zach,who is a high self-monitor.

Question 2

Recall that Elliot Aronson and J.Merrill 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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

In addition to the pull of charismatic leaders,the social support of fellow cult members,and the isolation of cult members from dissenting viewpoints,one key factor that the authors of your text suggest plays a role in explaining why cult members behave as they do is

Accepted Answer

A) that these people are of low intelligence. 
B) that the leaders are authoritarian and the followers are unintelligent. 
C) that the members usually are suicidal and depressed. 
D) the high degree of cognitive dissonance in members' minds.

Question 4

According to the tenets of dissonance theory,when we cannot find sufficient external justification for acts such as saying something we don't truly believe,we will most likely

Accepted Answer

A) deny what we said. 
B) seek internal justifications. 
C) seek out dissonance. 
D) increase the number of dishonest deeds we do.

Question 5

Why do people often experience post-decision dissonance?

Accepted Answer

A) They are motivated to believe in a just world. 
B) Almost every alternative has both an upside and a downside,and people feel uncomfortable. 
C) People fear that indecision will be evaluated negatively by others. 
D) It's easier to value an option we've chosen than to disparage an option we've rejected.

Question 6

Ronald wants to start a new club on campus,and he really wants his members to be involved and love the club.How would you suggest he use effort justification to increase members' sense of enjoyment of the club and their loyalty to the club?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ronald wants to start a new club...

Question 7

According to Thomas Friedman's cognitive dissonance explanation of the September 11th bombings (presented in your textbook),the events of September 11th occurred because

Accepted Answer

A) the men involved were religious fanatics. 
B) the men involved expected their action to lead to direct political advantage. 
C) the men see their civilization as superior and yet being treated as inferior by America. 
D) the men believed that they had superpowers and would survive the airline crashes.

Question 8

Ying just purchased a rather expensive wristwatch.She had debated for weeks about the merits of two different styles before making her final decision.It's now likely that Ying will

Accepted Answer

A) continue to check the newspaper to monitor sales for the watch she opted not to buy. 
B) emphasize all of the positive aspects of the chosen watch. 
C) wish that she purchased the other watch. 
D) return the chosen watch and exchange it for the other watch.

Question 9

Members of the Heaven's Gate cult,who "knew" there was a spaceship following the Hale-Bopp comet,returned a perfectly good telescope they had purchased because they failed to see the spaceship they knew was there.Such behaviors demonstrate that

Accepted Answer

A) cult leaders go to great lengths to brainwash their members. 
B) people will often go to extreme lengths to justify their actions or beliefs. 
C) pleasant,smart,reasonable people are seldom drawn to cults. 
D) scientists,like many of us,are fascinated with the macabre,gruesome aspects of life.

Question 10

Jay just found out that he was not accepted into his dream college.Based on information from the authors of your text about impact bias,which of the following best reflects how Jay will react?

Accepted Answer

A) He will become severely depressed. 
B) He will not go to college at all unless he can get admitted into his dream school. 
C) He will get over it rather quickly. 
D) It actually will not bother him in the least.

Question 11

According to the authors of your text,what is one major danger of engaging in self-justification strategies?

Accepted Answer

A) We experience cognitive dissonance. 
B) We will have lower self-esteem. 
C) We can end up becoming prejudiced. 
D) We can fail to learn from our mistakes.

Question 12

A number of researchers have found that people from ____ cultures are less likely to engage in obvious attempts to reduce cognitive dissonance.

Accepted Answer

A) industrialized 
B) independent 
C) primitive 
D) interdependent

Question 13

How would a dissonance theorist explain the paradoxical finding that we are apt to like our adversaries after doing them a favor and to dislike our friends after treating them badly?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How would a dissonance theorist explain the...

Question 14

You have worked extremely hard to attain a goal,but soon realize that the goal is not as exciting as you expected.You will probably

Accepted Answer

A) exaggerate the positive qualities of the goal in order to justify your effort. 
B) exaggerate the negative qualities of the goal in order to obtain sympathy. 
C) carefully analyze the reasons why you worked so hard to attain the goal. 
D) deny that you ever believed that the goal was exciting.

Question 15

Susan carefully rinses her mouth with an unpleasant-tasting mouthwash every day.One day,Susan reads an article reporting credible dental research that suggests that mouthwash is completely ineffective and that mouthwash may even be related to tooth decay.The discomfort that Susan experiences in response to this article is called

Accepted Answer

A) insufficient justification. 
B) cognitive dissonance. 
C) self-discrepancy. 
D) self-justification.

Question 16

A recent MRI study revealed that when participants successfully reduced and resolved their cognitive dissonance,they experienced

Accepted Answer

A) a surge of activity in the reasoning areas of the brain. 
B) a reduced capacity in the motor areas of the brain. 
C) pleasurable emotions. 
D) an increase in activation of the rear hemisphere.

Question 17

Researchers have found evidence of cognitive dissonance in the form of post-decision dissonance in which of the following animals?

Accepted Answer

A) dolphins 
B) Bonobo chimpanzees 
C) monkeys 
D) domestic housecats

Question 18

In general,the more ____ a decision between alternatives,the ____ post-decision dissonance.

Accepted Answer

A) permanent; greater 
B) revocable; greater 
C) trivial; greater 
D) freer; less

Question 19

Not all attempts to reduce cognitive dissonance are counterproductive.For example,Shelley Taylor and her colleagues (1989,1995,1996)have found that

Accepted Answer

A) people who harbor unrealistic illusions about surviving terminal illness can actually live longer. 
B) smokers who reduce cognitive dissonance by changing one of their inconsistent cognitions are often able to quit. 
C) inconsistent cognitions can actually cause people to engage in safe sex practices. 
D) people who hold self-serving cognitions seldom experience cognitive dissonance.

Question 20

Recall that Leon Festinger and J.Merrill Carlsmith (1959)paid participants either $1 or $20 to tell someone else that a tedious,boring task was really interesting.Participants paid ____ modified their original attitudes because they had ____ for lying.

Accepted Answer

A) $20; minimal external justification 
B) $1; little external justification 
C) $20; an abundance of external justification 
D) $1; little internal justification

Exam 6: The Need to Justify Our Actions: the Costs and Benefits of Dissonance Reduction

In addition to the pull of charismatic leaders,the social support of fellow cult members,and the isolation of cult members from dissenting viewpoints,one key factor that the authors of your text suggest plays a role in explaining why cult members behave as they do is

According to the tenets of dissonance theory,when we cannot find sufficient external justification for acts such as saying something we don't truly believe,we will most likely

Why do people often experience post-decision dissonance?

Ronald wants to start a new club on campus,and he really wants his members to be involved and love the club.How would you suggest he use effort justification to increase members' sense of enjoyment of the club and their loyalty to the club?

According to Thomas Friedman's cognitive dissonance explanation of the September 11^th bombings (presented in your textbook) ,the events of September 11^th occurred because

Ying just purchased a rather expensive wristwatch.She had debated for weeks about the merits of two different styles before making her final decision.It's now likely that Ying will

Members of the Heaven's Gate cult,who "knew" there was a spaceship following the Hale-Bopp comet,returned a perfectly good telescope they had purchased because they failed to see the spaceship they knew was there.Such behaviors demonstrate that

Jay just found out that he was not accepted into his dream college.Based on information from the authors of your text about impact bias,which of the following best reflects how Jay will react?

According to the authors of your text,what is one major danger of engaging in self-justification strategies?

A number of researchers have found that people from ____ cultures are less likely to engage in obvious attempts to reduce cognitive dissonance.

How would a dissonance theorist explain the paradoxical finding that we are apt to like our adversaries after doing them a favor and to dislike our friends after treating them badly?

You have worked extremely hard to attain a goal,but soon realize that the goal is not as exciting as you expected.You will probably

A recent MRI study revealed that when participants successfully reduced and resolved their cognitive dissonance,they experienced

Researchers have found evidence of cognitive dissonance in the form of post-decision dissonance in which of the following animals?

In general,the more a decision between alternatives,the post-decision dissonance.

Not all attempts to reduce cognitive dissonance are counterproductive.For example,Shelley Taylor and her colleagues (1989,1995,1996) have found that

Recall that Leon Festinger and J.Merrill Carlsmith (1959) paid participants either $1 or $20 to tell someone else that a tedious,boring task was really interesting.Participants paid modified their original attitudes because they had for lying.

Exam 6: The Need to Justify Our Actions: the Costs and Benefits of Dissonance Reduction

In addition to the pull of charismatic leaders,the social support of fellow cult members,and the isolation of cult members from dissenting viewpoints,one key factor that the authors of your text suggest plays a role in explaining why cult members behave as they do is

According to the tenets of dissonance theory,when we cannot find sufficient external justification for acts such as saying something we don't truly believe,we will most likely

Why do people often experience post-decision dissonance?

Ronald wants to start a new club on campus,and he really wants his members to be involved and love the club.How would you suggest he use effort justification to increase members' sense of enjoyment of the club and their loyalty to the club?

According to Thomas Friedman's cognitive dissonance explanation of the September 11th bombings (presented in your textbook) ,the events of September 11th occurred because

Ying just purchased a rather expensive wristwatch.She had debated for weeks about the merits of two different styles before making her final decision.It's now likely that Ying will

Members of the Heaven's Gate cult,who "knew" there was a spaceship following the Hale-Bopp comet,returned a perfectly good telescope they had purchased because they failed to see the spaceship they knew was there.Such behaviors demonstrate that

Jay just found out that he was not accepted into his dream college.Based on information from the authors of your text about impact bias,which of the following best reflects how Jay will react?

According to the authors of your text,what is one major danger of engaging in self-justification strategies?

A number of researchers have found that people from ____ cultures are less likely to engage in obvious attempts to reduce cognitive dissonance.

How would a dissonance theorist explain the paradoxical finding that we are apt to like our adversaries after doing them a favor and to dislike our friends after treating them badly?

You have worked extremely hard to attain a goal,but soon realize that the goal is not as exciting as you expected.You will probably

A recent MRI study revealed that when participants successfully reduced and resolved their cognitive dissonance,they experienced

Researchers have found evidence of cognitive dissonance in the form of post-decision dissonance in which of the following animals?

In general,the more ____ a decision between alternatives,the ____ post-decision dissonance.

Not all attempts to reduce cognitive dissonance are counterproductive.For example,Shelley Taylor and her colleagues (1989,1995,1996) have found that

Recall that Leon Festinger and J.Merrill Carlsmith (1959) paid participants either $1 or $20 to tell someone else that a tedious,boring task was really interesting.Participants paid ____ modified their original attitudes because they had ____ for lying.

According to Thomas Friedman's cognitive dissonance explanation of the September 11^th bombings (presented in your textbook) ,the events of September 11^th occurred because

In general,the more a decision between alternatives,the post-decision dissonance.

Recall that Leon Festinger and J.Merrill Carlsmith (1959) paid participants either $1 or $20 to tell someone else that a tedious,boring task was really interesting.Participants paid modified their original attitudes because they had for lying.