the need to be accurate about ourselves

the need to maintain self-esteem

these can sometimes conflict 

• Change our behavior
• change one of our cognitions
• adding new cognitions

Jones & Kohler (1959)

(Rational behavior v. rationalizing) 

after we've made a decision, we will alter the way we feel about the original alternatives

•     will rate our chosen alternative higher
•     will rate the unchosen alternatives lower 

a change in values in an attempt to justify a choice

behaving more or less ethically in the future

(Mills 1958, cheating study) 

Coming to like what we suffer for.

When we work hard for something, and the goal doesn't turn out, we must:

•     change our self-concept and decide we've been foolish or unskilled
•     just as likely, change attitude towards goal and see it positively

(Aronson and Mills 1959 psychology of sex study) 

justification that is sufficient to produce the discrepant behavior

BUT insufficient for people to believe they were forced through external justification to do it 

stating an opinion or attitude that runs counter to one's private beliefs

sometimes when it occurs, there is external justification, no attitude change

if no external justification, look for internal justification by changing attitude or behavior 

harsh punishment teaches "avoid getting caught"

mild or insifficient punishment --> why one isn't doing the behavior

how to reduce dissonance? Self-persuasion, devalue forbidden behavior or object

(Aronson & Carlsmith 1963 preschool study) 

we come to like more those for whom we do a favor for,

and like less, those whom we turn down 

discrepant attitiude essay writer who could attribute their arousal to external causes (placebo pill) showed no attitude change.

(Zanna and Cooper 1974) 

People become bistressed when a discrepancy between "actual self" and

• ideal self (depression-related)
• ought self (anxiety related)

One's self-concept can be threatened by another person's behavior

Level of threat related to

• closeness of relationship to other person
• personal relevance of the behavior 

people reduce threat to self-concept by focusing on and affirming their competence on some unrelated dimension.

less direct than actual dissonance reduction 

people have a need to seek confirmation of their self-concept, thether positve of negative

in some cases this conflicts with deisre to uphold positive view of self

-->less dissonance, less self-justification 

they seem to be, with cultural modifications 

a chain of stupid or immoral actions

(This is the rationalization trap) 

learn to tolerate dissonance long enough to examine situations critically and more objectively

maybe through self affirmation 

Affectively Based

Behaviorally Based

Cognitively Based 

Based more on feelings and values

can be based on sensory reactions

can also result from condtioning

don't result from rational thought and logic 

Based on how one behaves --> an attitude object

are usually higher on attitude-accessibility 

the more the accessible the attitude, the greater its strength

the greater the strength, the more resistant it is to change 

dissonance techniques

•    change attitude by changin behavior
• counter-attitudinal advocacy: when minimal external justification for it --> change in private attitude in direction of the public statement (behavior)

central route

peripheral route 

think carefully about the communication

elaborate on what is heard

*when motivated and able to attend it 

obvious persuason

"this car has excellent ratings, etc... anti-lock brakes..." 

don't think carefully

swayed by peripheral cues and use of heuristics

(pretty people driving the cars, wearing the clothes, etc) 

• source
  • who said
• message
  • what
• audience
  • to whom

"The Source"

depends on: 

Credibility

    competence

    trustworthiness 

Likeability 

    similarity

    attractiveness 

The source is essentially dissociated from the message. We don't remember "who" said it, but we remember the message.

We probably won't process the info, if it wasn't from a credible source 

Informational strategies

    strength of argument

    one-sided or two-sided

    order effects- primacy and recency

Message Discrepancy

    you need some discrepancy for an attitude change, but not too much

Fear appeals

    Gory videos in Drivers Ed Class 

Motivation

    relevance of argument

    ability to pay attention(if you're tired, etc)

    need for cognition 

Mood and Emotion

Culture

Type of attitude you're trying to change

attitude inoculation

    creating immunity to attitude change by exposing audience to small does of discrepant arguments

    peer pressure?

psychological reactance

    we are motivated to maintain/restore our freedom 

Spontaneous behaviors-

    predicted by attitude accessibility 

Deliberative behaviors -

    predicted by intentions

    (Ajzen and Fishbein's Theory of Planned Behavior) 

appealing to emotions-creating relevance

subliminal seduction- hidden persuaders?

NO- subliminal messages don't work(flashing text)

consciously perceived ads are much more powerful but they often rely on peripheral persuasion 

Explicit- how you know you feel about something

Implicit- you weren't really aware of how you feel about something (ie: racism)

conformity study

light on wall moves, you must estimate how far it moves.

VERY AMBIGUOUS STUDY

days later you come back, and there are 3 of you, with same task- but outloud

eventually they come to a consensus of how far it moves 

conformity study

length of line study,

10% always conformed 

most conformed 1/3 of the time

24% never conformed

when written answer- no conformity 

• situation is ambiguous
• situation is a crisis
• the others are experts

orson wells radio broadcast- he broadcasted the "war of the worlds" some people thought it was true

When group size is 3 or more

When the group is important

When one has no allies in the group

When the group's culture is collectivistic

When we have low self-esteem

When we're female?-this depends on the role of familiarity and status 

attention, and influence attempts

possible rejection and isolation 

be aware of its presence

if possible, find an ally

its easier if you have idiosyncrasy credits

the few can influence the many 

if it is seen as "okay" from society

(societal validation) 

a potentially destructive power

(Milgram's, to prove possibility of Holocaust) 

intimacy

passion

commitment 

The Stanford Prison experiment was canceled after ____ (time length).

Due to ________ 

"nice guards" treated prisoners fine, felt bad for them

"law abiding" followed the rules, didn't overstep boundaries. 

"sadistic" created new forms of punishment, truely cruel

people start acting closer to their implicit attitudes

(having racist remarks) 

• when people are tired
• the elderly 

consummate love

YAY! THIS IS THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIANGLE: TRUE LOVE 

non-love

:( 

affective component: consisting of your emotional reactions toward the attitude object

cognitive component: consisting ofyour thoughts and beliefs about the attitude object

behavioral component: consisting of your actions or observable behavior toward to attitude object

we change our behavior as a result

(stop playing with black kids after our parents dissapprove) 

a neutral stimulus becomes associated with emotions

(ie mothballs elicit warm feelings,kind of like being at grandmas house...)