Cognitive Dissonance Theory Quiz

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• Cognitive dissonance is a state of mind where an individual experiences psychological discomfort after being exposed to new information that contradicts a previously held belief.
• Individuals accomplish dissonance aversion through three mental mechanisms: rationalization, denial, and reinterpretation.
• Rationalization involves creating new rational explanations to justify the conflicting beliefs.
• Denial involves ignoring or rejecting the new information that contradicts the previously held belief.
• Reinterpretation involves reinterpreting the new information to make it consistent with the previously held belief.
• Individuals can also accomplish dissonance aversion by changing their behavior to align with the new information.

Theory of Planned Behavior

• Subjective norms refer to the perceived social pressure to engage in a specific behavior.
• Perceived Behavioral Control represents an individual's perception of their ability to perform a specific behavior.
• The Theory of Planned Behavior is based on the idea that an individual's intention or readiness to engage in a specific behavior is influenced by their attitude towards the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control.
• Intention or readiness to engage in a specific behavior is represented by the Behavioral Intention element in the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Cognitive Dissonance and Selective Exposure

• Selective exposure to information is related to cognitive dissonance, as individuals tend to avoid information that contradicts their beliefs and seek out information that confirms their beliefs to avoid dissonance.

Test your knowledge of Leon Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory with this quiz. Explore the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance and how individuals strive to reduce the discomfort it causes by changing beliefs or justifying behaviors.