Exam 7: Attitudes, Beliefs and Consistency

The results of Festinger and Carlsmith's (1959) study of cognitive dissonance suggest that ____.

Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) performed a famous experiment on cognitive dissonance in which subjects were asked to lie to a fellow student (about how fun a psychology experiment was) for either $1 or $20. For subjects in the $1 condition, dissonance was created because these subjects thought to themselves: "I am a nice, ethical person, but I have just been mean and told a lie." It appears that the $1 subjects were ultimately able to reduce this dissonance by thinking to themselves: ____.

The so-called A-B problem refers to the fact that ____.

In the process of classical conditioning, a(n) ____.

____ works on the assumption that a person's attitude toward helping others might fare better if his or her behavior is not measured by a single test.

According to the text, the drive for consistency is ____.

Last summer, Fabia applied for three jobs. The first required a resume, but nothing else. The second required both a resume and a long personal statement. The third required a resume and indicated that a long personal statement was optional (recommended but not required; Fabia went ahead and wrote one anyway). Suppose that Fabia was turned down by all three jobs. Which rejection was she probably MOST upset about?

Dr. Cross conducts a study in which she repeatedly exposes Lucy to a neutral object (a small painting). The study is neither enjoyable nor painful for Lucy. Assuming that Lucy had a neutral attitude toward the painting at the beginning of the study, how should we expect her to feel about the painting by the end of the study?

One's perceptions about whether significant others believe a person should perform a behavior or not refers to one's ____.

Suppose that Dylan has a new girlfriend whom he really likes. He programs his cell phone so that every time his new girlfriend calls, his phone plays the new Justin Timberlake single. After he has had his phone programmed this way for a little while, he notices that he feels happy whenever he hears the Justin Timberlake song. This most clearly illustrates ____.

Religious beliefs have no psychological benefit.

On a questionnaire, June is asked if she plans to donate blood or not. The researcher is measuring June's ___,

Jeanne believes that her son is a genius. He takes multiple difference IQ tests and scores below average. He performs poorly in school and shows little creativity at home. He does not excel at anything he does. Yet Jeanne continues to belief in his superior intellect. Jeanne is illustrating belief perseverance.

Much research suggests that people's attitudes are not predictive of their behaviors. However, in some cases, people's attitudes ARE highly predictive of their behaviors. Identify at least three factors that increase attitude-behavior consistency.

The tendency to engage in belief perseverance can be reduced or eliminated by ____.

People often have inconsistent automatic and deliberate attitudes but do not realize it. How is this possible?

Henry's mother always praises him when he practices the piano and denies him dessert when he doesn't. Henry's mother is apparently employing techniques based on ____ in order to encourage her son to practice more.

The act of comparing oneself to people who are worse off is called a(n) ____.

As discussed in the text, gamblers use tricks to ____.

The so-called A-B problem refers to the fact that there is often a weak relationship between people's ___.