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Chapter 16—Cognitive Dissonance

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Title:
"Sparks Fly," Taylor Swift, Speak Now
Claim:
Selective exposure
Application:
As Taylor notices her new romantic interest, she knows dating him isn't a good decision, but she chooses to ignore this fact.
Link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6d9IiDcFxtFVIvt9pCqyGH?si=cbbe038748ec4354
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
Iron Man
Claim:
Personal responsibility for bad outcomes ("The New Look") explains why people feel cognitive dissonance.
Application:
Tony Stark runs the weapons company started by his father. When he is captured by terrorists, he sees that the weapons he created are being used to harm innocent people. In this scene, we see him after escaping his captivity, and we hear him describe the cognitive dissonance that leads him to make a shocking decision about the future of Stark Industries.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09KTGVpKN2U
Cue Point:
0:44:20-0:46:10
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
"The Peer Pressure Experiment - Part 1", WISN 12 News
Claim:
Cognitive dissonance is the distressing metnal state caused by inconsistency between a person's belief and their action.
Application:
In this clip from a Wisconsin news station, the reporters put three teenagers in a scenario where they have to decide whether to get in a car they believe will be driven by a fellow teen who has been drinking. Watch for evidence of their discomfort when the nature of the experiment is revealed, and consider what cognitive dissonance theory might say about their attempts to reduce dissonance in the interviews afterward.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVOlwxvxhbY
Discovered  By:
Stephen and Allie (Andrew's students)

Title:
"People Face a Terrifying Moral Dilemma", Buzzfeed Multiplayer
Claim:
"The New Look" claims that we experience cognitive dissonance when we believe we are personally responsible for bad outcomes.
Application:
"The Trolley Problem" is a classic ethical dilemma. Buzzfeed's take emphasizes the response of people considering the problem, and cognitive dissonance theory (particularly Cooper's "New Look") suggests their discomfort arises from the possibility of being personally responsible for bad outcomes. Consistent with that prediction, see their discomfort grow as the bad outcomes become worse with each hypothetical scenario.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7RTykOCcuI
Discovered  By:
Andrew (with the recommendation of a student)

Title:
Thai anti-smoking ad from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation
Claim:
Cognitive dissonance is the distressing metnal state caused by inconsistency between a person's belief and their action.
Application:
Smoking serves as a key example in this chapter. This Thai ad portrays children asking smokers for help lighting cigarettes--a shocking request that prompts the smokers to explain the health effects of cigarettes, even though they have a burning cigarette in hand. How would cognitive dissonance theory explain the smokers' reaction when they children reveal the true purpose of their request?
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqbLe4EnmEM
Discovered  By:
Sydney & Lucy (Andrew's students)

Title:
Video footage of Festinger and his colleagues conducting the $1/$20 experiment
Claim:
The $1/$20 experiment that tests the minimal justification hypothesis: the best way to stimulate an attitude change in others is to offer just enough incentive to elicit counterattitudinal behavior.
Application:
We are fortunate to have video coverage of Festinger's experimental work. The $1/$20 experiment is powerful yet counterintuitive, and this video clip helps explain why cognitive dissonance theory predicts that small incentives may be more effective than large incentives.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kmVy1QPXn0&t=3s
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
Friday Night Lights, S2, E13, "Humble Pie"
Claim:
Aronson claims we experience cognitive dissonance when our behavior is inconsistent with our self-concept.
Application:
Among the car salespeople, it's a running joke that Gerald comes in twice a week to look at a car he wants. Jason, as the new salesperson, is assigned what the other salespeople believe is a lost cause. In his sales pitch, Jason invokes a sense of cognitive dissonance--if he believes this car is worth it, why doesn't he buy it? Jason asks whether this is really how Gerald wants to appear to other people. And with such masterful use of cognitive dissonance, Jason gets his first car sale.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cokLO0zHQKw
Discovered  By:
Andrew

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