Though A'Lisa is opposed to capital punishment, she is asked to give a speech in favor of it to conclude a class debate. In the context of insufficient justification, dissonance theory predicts that her true attitude will undergo the most change if she

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

We start by identifying the core concept in play: insufficient justification in cognitive dissonance theory. When a person performs a counterattitudinal behavior with little or no external justification, the internal conflict (dissonance) is stronger, prompting greater attitude change to align thoughts with actions.

Option 1: 'agrees to give the speech without special incentives.' This creates a counterattitudinal behavior (advocating a position she opposes) with minimal external justification, so the dissonance is relatively high and her true attitude is most likely to shift to reduce that dissonance. This aligns with the classic prediction of insufficient justification effects.

Option 2: 'agrees to give the speech for a large reward.' A large external reward provides strong justification for the behavior, which reduces dissonance. Consequently, there is less pressure for her to change her attitude, making this option less likely to produce a large attitude shift.

Option 3: 'agrees to give the speech but only if she favors both sides.' This condition already implies some alignment with both positions, diminishing the counterattitudinal nature of the act and the resulting dissonance. Therefore, the potential for attitude change is reduced.

Option 4: 'makes a speech implying capital punishment is wrong.' This would be in line with her true opposition to capital punishment, not a counterattitudinal action. In this case, there is little to no dissonance to resolve, so a large attitude change is unlikely.

In summary, the strongest dissonance-driving situation is when she performs a counterattitudinal act with minimal external justification, which corresponds to option 1. The other options provide external justification, conditional alignment, or congruence with her existing stance, all of which dampen the need for attitude change.

Though A'Lisa is opposed to capital punishment, she is asked to give a speech in favor of it to conclude a class debate. In the context of insufficient justification, dissonance theory predicts that her true attitude will undergo the most change if she

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Researchers forced participants who thought of themselves as just, fair people to cheat an innocent bystander. As a result, participants experienced the unpleasant conflict between their behavior and their self-image that psychologists refer to as ________________.

Although you were opposed to the American war with Iraq, your attitude changed when you were required to present a report on the justification of the war as a newspaper journalist. Which theory best explains the change in your attitude?

Insufficient justification occurs when:

Insufficient justification occurs when:

When an attitude is inconsistent with an action, which of the conditions is NOT likely to increase dissonance-based attitude change?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler