Deck 6: Cognitive Dissonance and the Need to Protect Our Self-Esteem

Question 1

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 __________.

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

Answer 1

cognitive dissonance.

Question 2

When people try to maintain their self-esteem and reduce cognitive dissonance, they may resort to maladaptive thinking known as __________.

A) heuristics
B) schemas
C) norms
D) rationalizing

Answer 2

rationalizing

Question 3

Cognitive dissonance always __________.

A) leads to a change in behavior
B) produces discomfort
C) leads to the rationalization trap
D) makes people produce new cognitions

Answer 3

produces discomfort

Question 4

Of the following people, which individual is most likely to reduce cognitive dissonance they might be feeling?

A) Jerry, who pretends he didn't eat a gallon of ice cream while trying to diet
B) Celso, who just tries not to think about the discomfort he is feeling
C) Moises, who convinces himself that the estimates of the contribution of smoking to the incidence of cancer are exaggerated
D) Lu Chi, who tries to relax so that he won't think about his discomfort

Question 5

According to your text, how did gay men resolve their dissonance when two central aspects of their identities conflicted? As a reminder, these were gay men who strongly identified with their Christian churches and whose ministers made anti-gay pronouncements. If they decided to stay with their church, how did they respond?

A) They didn't attend church on the day the anti-gay pronouncement was scheduled.
B) They attended church but played on their phones while the minister was talking.
C) They blamed the minister but kept going to the same church.
D) They stopped donating to the church.

Question 6

In a study of adolescent smokers, it was found that greater dependence on smoking and more difficulty in quitting was correlated with a need to have __________.

A) more justifications to keep smoking
B) fewer rationalizations for the choices they made
C) fewer justifications to keep smoking
D) more focus on internal attributions for the choices they made

Question 7

When our behavior conflicts with our attitudes, it can lead to __________.

A) irrational behavior that can be dangerous
B) cognitive dissonance
C) pleasant and smart behavior change
D) affective attribution

Question 8

Self-esteem refers to people's evaluations of their own __________.

A) behavior
B) values
C) self-worth
D) intentions

Question 9

According to the authors of your text, what is one of the most powerful determinants of human behavior?

A) Our need to preserve a stable, positive self-image
B) Our need to form a cohesive community
C) Our fear of doing something wrong
D) Our need to act rationally

Question 10

You've recently learned that eating avocados, which you love, is bad for your health. To reduce the dissonance you experience after reading this news, you would most likely __________.

A) question the validity of the research and the integrity of the scientists
B) consume a larger quantity of avocados
C) tell all of your friends about the findings
D) reread the article more carefully

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a typical way of reducing cognitive dissonance?

A) Forgetting about our past statements that contradict our behavior
B) Changing our behavior to bring it into line with dissonant cognitions
C) Justifying our behavior by changing dissonant cognitions
D) Justifying our behavior by adding new cognitions

Question 12

When people's actions and beliefs challenge their self-worth, they experience a feeling known as __________.

A) defensive attribution
B) low self-esteem
C) affective ambivalence
D) cognitive dissonance

Question 13

Scott believes very strongly that saccharine is an unsafe sugar substitute that may even cause cancer. Even though Scott is diabetic, and thus should be using sugar substitutes, he often opts for sugar-laden foods and drinks to avoid saccharine. "I'll just exercise more later; the sugar isn't a big deal. I'm really being healthier by avoiding saccharine," he thinks to himself. Scott's behavior and thoughts are examples of __________ in the face of cognitive dissonance.

A) harmonizing
B) rationalizing
C) patronizing
D) denial

Question 14

"There's no way I'd give up drinking! I'd just be stressed out all the time," says Lilly, as she sips her third martini of the evening. Lilly's comments about her drinking habit are an example of using __________ to reduce cognitive dissonance.

A) minimized shift
B) justification
C) behavior change
D) cognitive change

Question 15

"Live fast and die young, that's what I always say," Rosie pronounces, as she stuffs down three more Ding-Dong snack cakes and opens another pint of high-fat ice cream. Rosie knows that her diet is unhealthy and harmful, of course. To reduce her dissonance, Rosie is __________.

A) changing her behavior to bring it in line with her cognitions
B) changing a problem cognition to make it more consonant with her behavior
C) adding a cognition that is consonant with her problem behavior
D) engaging in self-affirmation to combat cognitive dissonance

Question 16

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 __________.

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 17

Hai has been taking expensive beta-carotene supplements for years because he believes they will reduce his risk of cancer. Hai has just learned that a well-controlled study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine showed that beta-carotene supplements do not reduce cancer risk. Hai is probably experiencing __________.

A) cognitive dissonance
B) self-affirmation
C) the rationalization trap
D) self-discrepancy

Question 18

George thinks of himself as an honest person until his brother reminds him that he's been known to keep extra change given to him by a cashier and to stock his home office for a sideline business with supplies taken from his job. George is now probably feeling a sense of discomfort known as __________.

A) misattribution of arousal
B) self-serving bias
C) cognitive dissonance
D) anxiety

Question 19

A tobacco grower says, "I'm not the only one growing it. If I stop, someone else will be there." Assuming that the man was experiencing dissonance from the fact that he was making his living from a crop that is bad for people's health, he appears to be reducing this dissonance by __________.

A) changing his behavior
B) changing his cognitions
C) adding new cognitions
D) self-affirmation in an unrelated domain

Question 20

Which psychologist developed the theory of cognitive dissonance?

A) Leong
B) Festinger
C) Lewin
D) Freud

Question 21

Recall that Brehm (1956) asked women to rate the desirability of a number of appliances and then allowed them to choose one of those appliances as a gift. Twenty minutes later, all women re-rated the same appliances, including the one they chose. Women tended to rate the alternatives they rejected lower than they had originally, and to rate their chosen appliance more positively. These results suggest that people __________.

A) seldom collect enough information before making decisions
B) reduce dissonance by overestimating differences between chosen and unchosen alternatives
C) are more likely to experience cognitive dissonance when decisions are irrevocable
D) experience more dissonance when their decisions implicate their self-concepts as rational and reasonable

Question 22

Mohammad recently purchased a new computer. He debated for weeks about whether to buy a PC or a Mac. He went ahead and purchased a Mac. It's now likely that Mohammad will __________.

A) continue to check advertisements for sale prices on the PC
B) focus on all of the positive qualities of a Mac
C) wish he had purchased a PC
D) return the Mac and get a PC

Question 23

Because dissonance reduction processes are mostly unconscious, people __________.

A) tend to use them as coping strategies
B) often will overestimate how badly negative feedback may affect them
C) usually will put a lot of effort into reducing cognitive dissonance
D) must change their behaviors, not their thoughts, to reduce feelings of dissonance

Question 24

Misaki feels terrible after just failing an exam in Spanish class. Now, in chemistry class, her lab partner just left the answers to the homework open on her desk while she steps into the hall to take a phone call. How is Misaki likely to behave?

A) She's likely to look at the answers and copy them down for herself.
B) She's likely to look away from the answers and do her own work.
C) She's likely to point out one of her partner's math mistakes.
D) She's likely to tell the instructor that the answers are available.

Question 25

Someone reminds you to be appropriately grateful for the gifts you receive. Were a dissonance theorist to remind you to be thankful, he or she would be giving you advice on how to __________.

A) avoid cognitive dissonance
B) avoid things that might be costly
C) prevent consonance in your cognitions
D) prevent insufficient justification

Question 26

All things being equal, it would generate the most dissonance to decide which of two __________.

A) classes to take
B) computers to buy
C) apartments to rent
D) people to marry

Question 27

Jacob interviewed for a job that was perfect for him. He received a call today telling him that he did not get the job. What is Jacob most likely to do now?

A) He is going to feel worse than he thought he would when he imagined hearing this news.
B) He is going to feel about as bad as he thought he would when he imagined hearing this news.
C) He will realize that he wasn't really qualified for the job.
D) He will put a spin on the news that will help him feel better.

Question 28

Recall that Brehm (1956) asked women to rate the desirability of a number of appliances, and then allowed them to choose one of those appliances as a gift. Twenty minutes later, all women re-rated the same appliances, including the one they chose. According to his findings, which of the following (fictitious) participants would rate the toaster lower than she had originally?

A) June, who chose the waffle iron instead
B) Donna, who felt pressured to select the iron
C) Maude, who rated the toaster lowest at the outset
D) Edith, who loves toast and jelly, and chose the toaster

Question 29

According to the authors of your text, every time we make a decision, we experience some amount of dissonance. Why?

A) After people invest effort, they are motivated to second-guess themselves.
B) The rejected alternative is seldom completely positive.
C) The chosen alternative is seldom completely positive.
D) People seldom seek out objective information before decision-making.

Question 30

__________ refers to the dissonance aroused after we have chosen between two or more alternatives.

A) Justification of effort
B) Postdecision dissonance
C) Insufficient justification
D) Decisional regret

Question 31

Imagine you really enjoy lying out in the sun to get a deep, dark tan. If you heard arguments both for and against tanning, you would probably remember __________ arguments for tanning and __________ arguments against tanning.

A) long; short
B) short; long
C) plausible; implausible
D) implausible; plausible

Question 32

Millie spent two months deciding whether to buy a compact car or an SUV. She finally decided on the SUV. Millie mostly likely __________.

A) wishes she'd bought the compact car
B) is certain that she made the right decision
C) still thinks both compacts and SUVs are equally good cars to own
D) tries to convince all her friends to buy a compact car

Question 33

Maria is on a limited budget and can only afford one album. She really likes two in particular: Iron and Wine's Greatest Hits and the soundtrack from the musical Hamilton. When she gets to listen to the Iron and Wine album, she cannot imagine why she ever considered the Hamilton album. This is because __________.

A) Maria has to justify buying an album, given her limited budget
B) Iron and Wine music reminds Maria of her childhood
C) Maria was motivated to reduce her postdecision dissonance
D) Maria wasn't sure about the online store's return policy

Question 34

According to the authors of your text, after you carefully make a decision, what is likely to happen?

A) You will focus on the negative aspects of the choice you made.
B) You will experience dissonance for several days.
C) You will start to think more and more about the good qualities of your decision.
D) You will begin to regret all the time you put into making your decision.

Question 35

After reducing postdecision dissonance, people are more likely to rate the chosen and unchosen alternatives as __________.

A) being very similar, with about equal strengths and weaknesses
B) having an equal number of strengths, but the chosen alternative as having fewer weaknesses
C) being more dissimilar, such that the chosen alternative is much more desirable than the unchosen one
D) being similar in terms of weaknesses, but the chosen alternative has more strengths

Question 36

Why do people often experience postdecision dissonance?

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 37

Chloe debated for a long time about whether to take a psychology or a sociology course, both of which looked interesting. She finally chose the psychology course. Now, because she is experiencing __________, she raves about the psychology course to her friends.

A) insufficient justification
B) postdecision dissonance
C) a justification of effort
D) a threat to self-evaluation maintenance

Question 38

Who would be LEAST likely to remember sound and well-founded arguments against smoking?

A) A person who has finally quit smoking after repeated attempts
B) A person who keeps trying to quit smoking without success
C) A person who has no desire to quit smoking
D) A person who has never smoked

Question 39

When making a decision, the more __________ the decision, the greater the need for dissonance reduction.

A) permanent and revocable
B) permanent and irrevocable
C) temporary and revocable
D) temporary and irrevocable

Question 40

According to the authors of your text, people experience dissonance __________.

A) every time they make a decision
B) when they know they did the wrong thing
C) when their goals do not match what society expects of them
D) when they make biased decisions

Question 41

When unscrupulous salespeople use lowballing as a means of selling cars, they take advantage of buyers' illusions that their decision to buy a particular car was __________.

A) freely chosen
B) irrevocable
C) easy to make
D) coerced

Question 42

Aronson and Mills (1959) performed an experiment in which college women were invited to join a discussion group about sex. In order to join the group, participants had to undergo either a severe initiation, a mild initiation, or no initiation. Which of the following best describes this study's findings? Women who underwent __________ initiation enjoyed the discussion the __________.

A) a mild; most
B) a severe; most
C) a severe; least
D) no; most

Question 43

Lisa is a car salesperson. She has just gotten you to agree to a deal on a new car and to write out a check for the down payment. She takes this to her manager and comes back a while later saying that, because of taxes and fees, the price of the car will actually come out to $600 over what you agreed upon. According to the research on lowballing, which of the following is most likely to occur?

A) You would decide to buy the car anyway because you realize the decision is reversible.
B) You would decide to buy the car only if you are not excited by the anticipation of the event.
C) You would decide to buy the car anyway because there is an illusion of irrevocability (i.e., you don't feel that you can reverse your decision).
D) You would not buy the car because salespeople are generally ineffective at persuading buyers to do what they want.

Question 44

According to research presented in the text, students shot a roll of film and printed two photographs. Some were told that they could exchange the one they chose to keep within five days, but others were told that their choice was final. What was the independent variable of this experiment?

A) Condition: choice or no choice
B) Condition: photograph 1 or photograph 2
C) How much they liked the photos
D) The five-day exchange period

Question 45

The authors of your text report that lowballing works as a persuasion technique for three reasons. Which of the following is NOT one of those reasons?

A) The customer feels committed to his or her decision.
B) The customer likes the salesperson.
C) The customer is excited about his or her purchase.
D) The customer probably wouldn't get that much better of a deal elsewhere.

Question 46

__________ refers to the tendency of people to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain.

A) Postdecision dissonance
B) Insufficient justification
C) Justification of effort
D) Minimal justification

Question 47

In which case is lowballing LEAST likely to work?

A) Jeremy is lowballed after he puts a down payment on a car he has been planning to buy for months.
B) Cassie is lowballed after she spends thirty minutes filling out contracts on her car purchase.
C) Jared is lowballed before he writes his check for the car.
D) Philip is lowballed, and he's in a hurry to close the deal because he's trying to finish it on his lunch break.

Question 48

According to the authors of your text, why would people experience cognitive dissonance after investing a lot of time and effort in pursuit of a goal that falls short of their expectations?

A) Punishment serves to reduce intrinsic motivation.
B) Heightened intrinsic motivation biases people's perceptions.
C) Actually, people would not experience cognitive dissonance in this situation.
D) Sensible people don't work hard to attain something trivial.

Question 49

Researchers (Knox & Inkster, 1968) visited a race track and interviewed people betting on the horses, both before and after they had placed their bets. They found that people who __________ were more confident in their betting decisions because __________.

A) had already placed their bets; their bets changed the odds
B) had already placed their bets; they couldn't change their minds
C) had placed small, two-dollar bets; they stood to lose less
D) were waiting to place large bets; they reported more experience

Question 50

Of the four people presented below, which one would feel the LEAST regret about altering her appearance, based on information in your text about cognitive dissonance?

A) Cheryl, who just got a tattoo
B) Lisa, who is wearing a new outfit
C) Misty, who just got her nails painted
D) Darlene, who is wearing a new shade of lipstick

Question 51

People who had already placed their two-dollar bets were more confident than people who were waiting in line to place their bets (Knox & Inkster, 1968). These findings suggest that decisions that are __________ generate more cognitive dissonance than decisions that are not.

A) important
B) coerced
C) irrevocable
D) trivial

Question 52

The term __________ refers to a practice whereby a salesperson initially accepts a customer's offer, but then claims an error and quotes the customer a higher price.

A) horse-trading
B) bait and switch
C) lowballing
D) highrolling

Question 53

After casting your ballot for an election, you are more convinced than you were before casting the ballot that you voted for the best candidate. This example illustrates the idea that when decisions are __________, individuals engage in a greater amount of dissonance reduction.

A) imminent
B) ambiguous
C) irrevocable
D) simple

Question 54

Petar and Nikolas love the house that they just toured. It is a short sale for $180,000, which is a great price. They are very excited and want to put in an offer. After they begin the paperwork, their realtor tells them that the price does not include the fixtures or the appliances. Those will likely cost an extra $20,000. What tactic is the realtor using?

A) Lowballing
B) Bait and switch
C) Intrinsic motivation
D) Priming

Question 55

Carla has just written out a check for $18,999 to pay for her new car. Although the salesperson had initially accepted her check, she is now told that there was a mistake and that the final total should really be $19,250. Carla writes another check to cover the difference so that she can drive out with her new car. Carla has just fallen prey to a questionable sales practice called __________.

A) lowballing
B) bait and switch
C) the dissonance game
D) keep 'em guessing

Question 56

According to research presented in the text, students shot a roll of film and printed two photographs. Some were told that they could exchange the one they chose to keep within five days, but others were told that their choice was final. What was the dependent variable of this experiment?

A) Condition: choice or no choice
B) Condition: photograph 1 or photograph 2
C) How much they liked the photos
D) The five day exchange period

Question 57

The Pattersons bought their TV from a store with a thirty-day return policy, and the Stevensons bought the same TV from a different store with a policy that "All Sales Are Final!" Based on what the text reports about cognitive dissonance, which family is more likely to be satisfied with their TV?

A) The Pattersons
B) The Stevensons
C) They will be equally happy
D) The Pattersons, but only if they paid less than the Stevensons

Question 58

People generally __________ think that they would like to be able to easily change a decision they've made; however, the research on cognitive dissonance suggests that people actually are __________ with their choice when a decision is more permanent.

A) do; happier
B) do; not as happy
C) do not; happier
D) do not; not as happy

Question 59

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) 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 60

According to research presented in the text, students shot a roll of film and printed two photographs. Some were told that they could exchange the one they chose to keep within five days, but others were told that their choice was final. Which group of students liked their photograph best?

A) Those who were given the exchange period, because in the U.S., students value choice
B) Those who were not given an exchange period, because the decision was irrevocable
C) They both liked their photos equally well.
D) Those who could exchange the photo, because they could copy the first, then get the second as well

Question 61

__________ is to dissonance-induced attitude change as __________ is to no attitude change.

A) Counterattitudinal advocacy; internal justification
B) External justification; internal justification
C) Internal justification; counterattitudinal advocacy
D) Internal justification; external justification

Question 62

Suppose that both Oscar and Sam went through hazing rituals for the same fraternity. Oscar went through a very long and involved hazing process while Sam went through relatively mild rituals. After they both got into the fraternity, they realized that there were a lot of negative things associated with membership that they hadn't expected. According to cognitive dissonance, which of the following would you expect to happen?

A) Oscar would love the fraternity more than Sam because he went through more to get into it.
B) Sam would want to stay in the fraternity more than Oscar because Sam realizes that he accepted the membership even though he didn't like it.
C) Both Oscar and Sam would like the fraternity equally.
D) Sam and Oscar would dislike the fraternity equally because of all the negatives associated with it.

Question 63

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 __________.

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

Question 64

Recall that Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) paid participants either $1 or $20 to tell another person that a boring, tedious task was really fun and interesting. The results of their experiment demonstrated that __________.

A) minimal external justification can lead to attitude change
B) when people experience dissonance, they work to justify their effort
C) the decision to engage in attitude-discrepant acts must be voluntary
D) people often refuse to say in public what they privately believe

Question 65

During the Kavadi ritual in the nation of Mauritius, participants engage in either low-ordeal rituals or severe-ordeal rituals, before being asked to donate to their temple. The low-ordeal participants must pray and sing collectively while the severe-ordeal participants are pierced with needles and hooks and must endure pain. When researchers allowed participants to donate to their temple, they found __________.

A) the value of the donation was the same for participants in the low- and severe-ordeal groups
B) the value of the donation was higher for the low-ordeal participants when compared to the severe-ordeal participants
C) the value of the donation was higher for the severe-ordeal participants when compared to the low-ordeal participants
D) neither the low-ordeal nor the severe-ordeal participants volunteered any donation for the temple

Question 66

Janis has just volunteered to undergo treatment for drug addiction. After she leaves the clinic, she is __________ to stay off drugs because her recovery at the clinic was __________.

A) likely; very easy to experience
B) not likely; a very difficult ordeal
C) likely; a very difficult ordeal
D) not likely; part of a mandatory sentencing program

Question 67

As you and your friends return home and meet up for the first time since high school, you find that you've all taken different paths in life. Based on cognitive dissonance and the principle of justification of effort, who would be the LEAST satisfied with what he or she is currently doing?

A) Jill, who just finished a grueling four-month training period with the Marines
B) Matt, who is in the Peace Corps, living in third-world countries with no modern conveniences
C) Fiona, who is going to a local college with a loose admissions policy, and whose parents are paying her way
D) Ann, who went through a five-step process to be accepted at her college and now is taking rigorous courses

Question 68

Jorge has just undergone a three-week initiation process to become a member of a fraternity. During the initiation, he was made to do such things as shave his head, run naked through the cafeteria, and sing obnoxious fraternity songs during classes. Jorge now considers the fraternity the best thing that's ever happened to him and is convinced that his fraternity brothers are friends for life. Jorge's attitude towards his fraternity is probably the result of __________.

A) postdecision dissonance
B) the overjustification effect
C) insufficient punishment
D) justification of effort

Question 69

When our behaviors are inconsistent with our values or beliefs, we are NOT likely to experience cognitive dissonance if __________.

A) the beliefs are integral to our self-concepts
B) we engaged in the behavior voluntarily
C) no one observed the inconsistent behavior
D) we can point to external justifications for our behavior

Question 70

When people state publicly an opinion that is at odds with their own private attitudes, they are engaging in __________.

A) dissonance reduction
B) justification of effort
C) counterattitudinal advocacy
D) seeking external justifications

Question 71

Two weeks after making a public statement at odds with his previous position, which politician is most likely to report to his close friends that he sticks by his most recent (contradictory) statement?

A) A candidate who spoke at a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser
B) A candidate who was far behind in the polls and had to shift tactics
C) A candidate who was "cornered" by demonstrators
D) A candidate who couldn't quite figure out why he contradicted himself

Question 72

Recall that Festinger and 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.

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

Question 73

Your friend Jamie shows you the gift she bought for her mother's birthday. It's an atrociously ugly fake marble statue of an angel, with the saccharine words "My Mother's an Angel" sloppily lettered on the bottom. Jamie asks you what you think, and because her feelings are easily hurt, to spare her, you say, "It's wonderful! Maybe I'll get one for my mom!" In this case, you __________ experience dissonance because there is sufficient __________ justification for your action.

A) will; external
B) will; internal
C) will not; internal
D) will not; external

Question 74

In the aftermath of a dissonant behavior, people often change something about themselves as a means of reducing cognitive dissonance. This is known as __________.

A) the overjustification effect
B) external justification
C) internal justification
D) postdecision regret

Question 75

Which of the following social psychology concepts is most closely related to the idea that "saying is believing"?

A) Justification of effort
B) Postdecision regret
C) Counterattitudinal advocacy
D) Illusion of choice

Question 76

Phil spent an hour and a half running cables and toying with connections in order to receive cable TV in his room. When he was finished, he got fifty channels, but all of them were kind of fuzzy. His roommate, Jason, arrived home when Phil was done, and they both sat down to watch TV. Which one will enjoy the cable TV the most?

A) Phil, because of a self-fulfilling prophecy
B) Phil, because of justification of effort
C) Jason, because he didn't have to spend the time hooking it up
D) Jason, because of insufficient punishment

Question 77

If a person goes through a demanding process involving lots of effort and hard work to achieve a goal, what would cognitive dissonance suggest that person will think about the experience afterwards?

A) "I loved all of that work; it's really fun to pull all-nighters and not sleep!"
B) "I really liked being so stressed out, especially when I ended up sick because of it."
C) "Going through all of that effort was worth it!"
D) "It's fun to have bad things happen to you when you are trying to attain a goal."

Question 78

Who is most likely to enjoy a boring and lackluster rock-and-roll concert performed by washed-up, fiftysomething "has-beens"?

A) Paul, who won the tickets in a radio trivia quiz
B) Mick, who waited in line all night for the tickets
C) Keith, who got the tickets for his birthday from his Aunt Bertha
D) Rod, who used to work as a soundman for the band

Question 79

Which of the following people is using an internal justification to reduce dissonance?

A) Betty, who points to the fact that she was coerced into an undesirable behavior
B) Colin, who identifies a large reward as the cause of his behavior
C) Terri, who changes her attitude to bring it in line with an undesirable behavior
D) Jessie, who reconciles herself to the discomfort that dissonance produces

Question 80

People are unlikely to change their attitudes after saying something they don't truly believe if there is __________ for the lie.

A) insufficient justification
B) external justification
C) postdecision regret
D) insufficient rationalization