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Why do we hold false beliefs?. Cognitive dissonance. Festinger et al. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=korGK0yGIDo Why was dissonance such an important theory? Why was this study important?. Festinger’s version of CD.
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Why do we hold false beliefs? Cognitive dissonance
Festingeret al. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=korGK0yGIDo • Why was dissonance such an important theory? • Why was this study important?
Festinger’s version of CD • According to the authors, what are the conditions for resistance to change? • For pressure to change? • To keep belief in the face of disconfirmation? • How can dissonance be resolved? • Does support have to come from in group members? • What makes a belief more likely to be held with conviction?
Examples of belief in the face of disconfirmation • Anabaptists • Millerites • Sabbatains • Other nonreligious ones? Why are all his examples religious? • Why does dissonance lead people to proselytize? • Are there events that might make these groups more likely? • Are some types of people more susceptible?
Participant observation • Problems of this method? • Advantages of it? • Ethics of it?
Characters • Mrs. Keech • Dr. and Daisy Armstrong • Sananda • Cleo • Bob Eastman • Kitty O’Donnell • Fred Purden & Laura Brooks • Susan Heath • George Scherr • Hal Fischer
Edna & Mark Post • Clyde Wilton • Bertha Blatsky • Mrs. Lowell • Kurt Freund • Lake City, Steel City, Collegeville
What was the basic philosophy of the group? • Why did this philosophy likely appeal to these people? • What began to give the groups more urgency? • How did they interpret events that occurred?
What are other examples of this? • Why did the group initially not want to spread their message? • Why did this change? • How did they react to media attention?
Group dynamics • What are some signs that they began to act like a group? • What were the group dynamics between members like?
New look dissonance (Cooper & Fazio, 1984) • Only get dissonance if • Actions freely chosen • Actor committed to belief • Aversive event • And consequences foreseeable • How does this modify the original theory? • When might an inconsistency not lead to dissonance? • When might something that’s not inconsistent lead to dissonance?
More on dissonance • Is dissonance a drive? • How did Aronson (1969) modify the theory? • Explain the hypocrisy paradigm • What is the self-standards dissonance model (Stone & Cooper, 2003)? • Is dissonance automatic or controlled?
More recent twists on CD • Vicarious dissonance (Cooper & Hogg, 2007) • Cultural effects (Markus & Kitayama, 1991) • Tesser’s (1988) self-evaluation model • Higgins’ (1989) self-discrepancy theory • Other moderators?
Applications of CD • Weight loss • Water conservation • Psychotherapy • Hypocrisy paradigm • Vicarious dissonance • Would these last long term? • Religious proselytizing