Cognitive dissonance | Behavior | MCAT | Khan Academy

Summary

The video explores cognitive dissonance, the discomfort felt when a person holds conflicting beliefs and behaviors. Using the example of a smoker who knows smoking leads to cancer yet continues to smoke, it highlights the tension between attitudes and actions. To resolve this dissonance, individuals may modify their beliefs, trivialize the issue, add new cognitions, or deny the connection altogether. Ultimately, the video emphasizes that people seek harmony in their thoughts and behaviors, and cognitive dissonance arises when these elements are misaligned.

Takeaways

• 😀 Cognitive dissonance refers to the discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.
• 😀 People strive for consistency and harmony between their attitudes and behaviors.
• 😀 An example of cognitive dissonance is a smoker who believes smoking causes cancer but continues to smoke.
• 😀 The discomfort from cognitive dissonance often leads individuals to alter their beliefs or behaviors to reduce inconsistency.
• 😀 One way to cope with cognitive dissonance is to modify existing cognitions (e.g., 'I don't smoke that much').
• 😀 Trivialization is another method, where individuals downplay the significance of their beliefs (e.g., 'The evidence is weak that smoking causes cancer').
• 😀 Adding new cognitions can help resolve dissonance (e.g., 'I exercise so much that it doesn't even matter that I smoke').
• 😀 Denial is also a strategy, where individuals refuse to acknowledge the relationship between conflicting beliefs (e.g., 'There's no evidence that smoking and cancer are linked').
• 😀 Cognitive dissonance illustrates the psychological need for balance and alignment in thoughts and actions.
• 😀 Ultimately, cognitive dissonance highlights how people will take various approaches to maintain harmony in their mental framework.

Q & A

What is cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort experienced when holding two or more conflicting cognitions, such as ideas, beliefs, values, or emotional reactions.

How do attitudes influence behavior?

Attitudes shape behaviors by creating expectations for how we should act. People strive for consistency and harmony between their attitudes and behaviors.

What might happen when someone experiences cognitive dissonance?

When someone experiences cognitive dissonance, they may feel discomfort and may alter their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to reduce that discomfort.

Can you provide an example of cognitive dissonance involving smoking?

An example is a smoker who believes smoking leads to cancer but continues to smoke. This creates a contradiction between their behavior and belief.

What is one way to reduce cognitive dissonance?

One way to reduce cognitive dissonance is to modify one or more of the conflicting cognitions, such as a smoker saying, 'I don’t smoke that much.'

What does it mean to trivialize a cognition?

To trivialize a cognition means to make it less important, such as saying, 'The evidence is weak that smoking causes cancer.'

How can adding more cognitions help with cognitive dissonance?

Adding more cognitions can help reduce dissonance by providing justification for the conflicting beliefs, like a smoker claiming, 'I exercise so much that it doesn’t matter that I smoke.'

What does it mean to deny cognitions?

Denying cognitions involves rejecting the relationship between conflicting beliefs, such as a smoker asserting, 'There’s no evidence that smoking and cancer are linked.'

Why do people strive for harmony in their attitudes and behaviors?

People strive for harmony because inconsistencies between their attitudes and behaviors create discomfort, leading them to seek balance.

What is the key takeaway about cognitive dissonance from the video?

The key takeaway is that cognitive dissonance occurs when there is a lack of alignment between our thoughts, words, and actions, prompting a desire for consistency.