©SOPHIABENNET@2024/2025 Monday, August 19, 2024 10:32 PM
Social Psych Chapter 6, 7, & 8 Study
Guide with Complete Solutions
cognitive dissonance - Answer✔️✔️-the discomfort that people feel when
two cognitions (beliefs, attitudes) conflict, or when they behave in ways
that are inconsistent with their conception of themselves.
3 basic ways to reduce dissonance - Answer✔️✔️-1. changing our behavior
to bring it in line with the dissonant cognition. Ex: a smoker stops smoking
because he knows it's bad for him
2. attempting to justify our behavior by changing one of the dissonant
cognitions. Ex: telling yourself that "smoking isn't that bad for you"
3. attempting to justify our behavior by adding new cognitions. Ex: telling
yourself that you should keep smoking because "it relaxes you"
self-affirmation - Answer✔️✔️-a way of reducing dissonance by reminding
oneself of one or more of one's positive attributes. A popular way of
reducing dissonance by adding a new cognition. Ex: "I know I smoke but
I'm a really good cook."
impact bias - Answer✔️✔️-the tendency to overestimate the intensity and
duration of one's emotional reactions to future negative events. Ex: people
overestimate how dreadful they'll feel after a breakup or after losing their
job. They fail to realize that dissonance reduction will eventually save them
1
,©SOPHIABENNET@2024/2025 Monday, August 19, 2024 10:32 PM
from future anguish and they'll realize they hated that job and that partner
and are better off without them.
postdecision dissonance - Answer✔️✔️-dissonance aroused after making a
decision, typically reduced by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen
alternative and devaluating the rejected alternatives. *We do this to make
ourselves feel better about the choice we made.
lowballing - Answer✔️✔️-an unscrupulous strategy whereby a salesperson
induces a customer to agree to purchase a product at a low cost,
subsequently claims it was an error, and then raises the price; frequently,
the customer will agree to make the purchase at the inflated price.
collectivist cultures and dissonance - Answer✔️✔️-dissonance reducing
behavior might be less prevalent in these cultures. We'd be more likely to
find behavior aimed at maintaining group harmony and less likely to see
people justifying personal misbehavior, but more likely to be experiencing
dissonance when their behavior disappoints others.
justification of effort - Answer✔️✔️-the tendency for individuals to increase
their liking for something they have worked hard to attain. Ex: if you work
super hard to get into a club and then find it to be boring, you'll convince
yourself it's more interesting and likable than it really is. *If a person agrees
to endure a demanding/unpleasant experience in order to attain some goal
or object, that goal or object becomes more attractive.
external justification - Answer✔️✔️-a reason or an explanation for dissonant
personal behavior that resides outside the individual (to receive a reward
2
, ©SOPHIABENNET@2024/2025 Monday, August 19, 2024 10:32 PM
or avoid a punishment). Ex: lying to your friend about liking her dress so
as not to hurt her feelings or embarrass her.
internal justification - Answer✔️✔️-trying to reduce dissonance by changing
something about yourself, such as your attitude or behavior.
counter-attitudinal advocacy - Answer✔️✔️-stating an opinion or attitude
that runs counter to one's private beliefs or attitudes. *Saying becomes
believing.
-when we do this with little external justification (without being motivated
by something outside of ourselves) what we believe begins to conform
more and more to the lie we told.
insufficient punishment - Answer✔️✔️-the dissonance aroused when
individuals lack sufficient external justification for having resisted a
desired activity or object, usually resulting in individuals devaluing the
forbidden activity or object. Ex: child refraining from hitting his brother
lacks complete justification for not hitting him, reduces his dissonance by
convincing himself he doesn't want to hit his brother.
self-persuasion - Answer✔️✔️-a long-lasting form of attitude change that
results from attempts at self-justification. Ex: forbidden toy story: the
children persuaded themselves that the toy wasn't all that great and that
they didn't want to play with it anymore.
hypocrisy induction - Answer✔️✔️-the arousal of dissonance by having
individuals make statements that run counter to their behaviors and then
3
Social Psych Chapter 6, 7, & 8 Study
Guide with Complete Solutions
cognitive dissonance - Answer✔️✔️-the discomfort that people feel when
two cognitions (beliefs, attitudes) conflict, or when they behave in ways
that are inconsistent with their conception of themselves.
3 basic ways to reduce dissonance - Answer✔️✔️-1. changing our behavior
to bring it in line with the dissonant cognition. Ex: a smoker stops smoking
because he knows it's bad for him
2. attempting to justify our behavior by changing one of the dissonant
cognitions. Ex: telling yourself that "smoking isn't that bad for you"
3. attempting to justify our behavior by adding new cognitions. Ex: telling
yourself that you should keep smoking because "it relaxes you"
self-affirmation - Answer✔️✔️-a way of reducing dissonance by reminding
oneself of one or more of one's positive attributes. A popular way of
reducing dissonance by adding a new cognition. Ex: "I know I smoke but
I'm a really good cook."
impact bias - Answer✔️✔️-the tendency to overestimate the intensity and
duration of one's emotional reactions to future negative events. Ex: people
overestimate how dreadful they'll feel after a breakup or after losing their
job. They fail to realize that dissonance reduction will eventually save them
1
,©SOPHIABENNET@2024/2025 Monday, August 19, 2024 10:32 PM
from future anguish and they'll realize they hated that job and that partner
and are better off without them.
postdecision dissonance - Answer✔️✔️-dissonance aroused after making a
decision, typically reduced by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen
alternative and devaluating the rejected alternatives. *We do this to make
ourselves feel better about the choice we made.
lowballing - Answer✔️✔️-an unscrupulous strategy whereby a salesperson
induces a customer to agree to purchase a product at a low cost,
subsequently claims it was an error, and then raises the price; frequently,
the customer will agree to make the purchase at the inflated price.
collectivist cultures and dissonance - Answer✔️✔️-dissonance reducing
behavior might be less prevalent in these cultures. We'd be more likely to
find behavior aimed at maintaining group harmony and less likely to see
people justifying personal misbehavior, but more likely to be experiencing
dissonance when their behavior disappoints others.
justification of effort - Answer✔️✔️-the tendency for individuals to increase
their liking for something they have worked hard to attain. Ex: if you work
super hard to get into a club and then find it to be boring, you'll convince
yourself it's more interesting and likable than it really is. *If a person agrees
to endure a demanding/unpleasant experience in order to attain some goal
or object, that goal or object becomes more attractive.
external justification - Answer✔️✔️-a reason or an explanation for dissonant
personal behavior that resides outside the individual (to receive a reward
2
, ©SOPHIABENNET@2024/2025 Monday, August 19, 2024 10:32 PM
or avoid a punishment). Ex: lying to your friend about liking her dress so
as not to hurt her feelings or embarrass her.
internal justification - Answer✔️✔️-trying to reduce dissonance by changing
something about yourself, such as your attitude or behavior.
counter-attitudinal advocacy - Answer✔️✔️-stating an opinion or attitude
that runs counter to one's private beliefs or attitudes. *Saying becomes
believing.
-when we do this with little external justification (without being motivated
by something outside of ourselves) what we believe begins to conform
more and more to the lie we told.
insufficient punishment - Answer✔️✔️-the dissonance aroused when
individuals lack sufficient external justification for having resisted a
desired activity or object, usually resulting in individuals devaluing the
forbidden activity or object. Ex: child refraining from hitting his brother
lacks complete justification for not hitting him, reduces his dissonance by
convincing himself he doesn't want to hit his brother.
self-persuasion - Answer✔️✔️-a long-lasting form of attitude change that
results from attempts at self-justification. Ex: forbidden toy story: the
children persuaded themselves that the toy wasn't all that great and that
they didn't want to play with it anymore.
hypocrisy induction - Answer✔️✔️-the arousal of dissonance by having
individuals make statements that run counter to their behaviors and then
3
