1954 Festinger & Carlsmith's Cognitive Dissonance Study

Summary

This transcript details a cognitive dissonance experiment where participants perform a monotonous task of turning pegs and are asked to lie about its enjoyment. One group is paid $1 to lie, while another group receives $20. The results show that those paid $1 experience cognitive dissonance and adjust their attitudes to justify their actions, while those paid $20 have enough external justification and do not change their views. This highlights how insufficient external rewards can lead to attitude change, supporting cognitive dissonance theory and its implications for motivation and behavior modification.

Takeaways

• 😀 The experiment involved a boring task of turning wooden pegs to study the effect of cognitive dissonance on performance.
• 😀 Half of the subjects were paid $20 and instructed to tell the next participant that the task was fun, while the other half were paid only $1.
• 😀 The goal was to create a situation where all subjects had a similar negative experience, but with varying levels of compensation.
• 😀 Subjects who were paid $20 didn’t experience cognitive dissonance because they had a justified reason for lying about the task being enjoyable.
• 😀 The subjects who received only $1 experienced cognitive dissonance because they lacked sufficient justification for claiming the task was fun.
• 😀 Cognitive dissonance theory predicts that individuals with insufficient justification for their actions will change their beliefs to resolve discomfort.
• 😀 The $1 group started to convince themselves that the task was actually enjoyable in order to resolve the cognitive dissonance they felt.
• 😀 The experiment demonstrated that people can change their attitudes when they feel the need to align their behavior with their beliefs.
• 😀 The subjects who were paid more were less likely to change their perception of the task because they had external justification for lying.
• 😀 This experiment highlights how people may alter their attitudes and beliefs to reduce psychological discomfort when their actions conflict with their values.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the experiment described in the script?

The main purpose of the experiment is to study the effect of cognitive dissonance on performance. Specifically, how individuals justify their actions when they are paid different amounts to lie about the enjoyment of a dull task.

How is cognitive dissonance demonstrated in the experiment?

Cognitive dissonance is demonstrated by having participants perform a boring task and then lie about their enjoyment of it. Those paid $1 experience dissonance because they have insufficient external justification for lying, while those paid $20 do not experience dissonance as the larger amount of money justifies their behavior.

What tasks did the participants perform in the experiment?

Participants were asked to repeatedly turn wooden pegs, which was a tedious and boring task. They were instructed to turn the pegs a quarter turn to the right and repeat the process.

What was the manipulation in the experiment that led to different outcomes for the participants?

The manipulation involved offering two different compensation amounts. One group was paid $1, and the other was paid $20 for performing the same dull task. The group paid $1 had to justify their actions, leading to cognitive dissonance and a change in their attitude about the task.

What is the expected outcome for the participants paid $1?

The participants paid $1 are expected to experience cognitive dissonance because they lack sufficient external justification for lying about enjoying the task. To reduce this dissonance, they change their attitude and come to believe that the task was actually more interesting.

How did the participants paid $20 respond to the task compared to those paid $1?

The participants paid $20 did not experience cognitive dissonance because they had sufficient justification for lying. As a result, their attitudes about the task remained unchanged, and they did not come to believe that the task was enjoyable.

What does the experiment suggest about the relationship between external justification and attitude change?

The experiment suggests that when external justification (such as payment) is insufficient, people are more likely to change their attitudes to align with their actions. In contrast, when there is sufficient external justification, people are less likely to alter their beliefs.

What does the script imply about the effect of small rewards on behavior and beliefs?

The script implies that small rewards, such as $1, lead to greater cognitive dissonance because they do not provide enough justification for the participants' actions. To resolve this dissonance, participants change their beliefs to make the behavior more acceptable.

Why were the participants asked to tell an obvious lie about the task?

The participants were asked to lie about the task's enjoyment to induce cognitive dissonance. By lying, they created a conflict between their belief that the task was boring and the need to justify their actions, leading to attitude change.

What is the key difference in how participants paid $1 and $20 view the task?

The key difference is that participants paid $1 experience cognitive dissonance and end up convincing themselves that the task was more enjoyable, while participants paid $20 can justify the lie with the payment and do not change their attitude about the task.