Inducing Cognitive Dissonance

Carkenord and Bullington (1993) suggest a simple exercise that helps students better understand the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance by experiencing it first-hand in class. In this exercise, cognitive dissonance is induced by comparing students' attitudes and behaviors on a variety of social issues. Prior to your discussion of cognitive dissonance, draw a 5-point Likert scale on the board ranging from (1) strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree. Then, ask students to take out a blank piece of paper and to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with a series of statements that you will read aloud (by writing a number from 1 to 5 corresponding to the scale). Carkenord and Bullington suggest using the following statements:

1. World hunger is a serious problem that needs attention.

2. Our country needs to address the growing number of homeless.

3. The right to vote is one of the most valuable rights of American citizens.

4. Our government should spend less money on nuclear weapons and more on helping citizens better their lives.

Then, ask students to turn their papers over and to answer the next series of questions by responding "Yes" or "No" according to whether they "perform the behavior on a regular basis." This series of behavioral questions corresponds to the previous attitudinal items:

1. Do you personally do anything to lessen world hunger (e.g., donate money or food or write your representative)?

2. Do you personally do anything to help the homeless (e.g., volunteer at a homeless shelter or donate money)?

3. Did you vote in the last election for which you were eligible?

4. Do you personally convey your feelings to the government (e.g., by writing your representative or by participating in protests/marches)?

After students have completed both series of questions, have them back to Side 1 and ask them (by a show of hands) how many agreed or strongly agreed with attitudinal Item 1. Next, ask them to turn their papers over and to raise their hands if they responded "Yes" to the corresponding behavioral item. Repeat this process for all four questions. Students generally get the point of this exercise very quickly. In most cases, a majority of students will agree with or show positive attitudes toward the issue, but only a small minority will actually report behavior consistent with those attitudes. Carkenord and Bullington suggest that discussion should focus on (a) how these inconsistencies made students feel, (b) formal definitions for consonance and dissonance, (c) research on cognitive dissonance (including Festinger and Carlsmith's famous study), and (d) strategies for reducing dissonance.

Carkenord, D. M., & Bullington, J. (1993). Bringing cognitive dissonance to the classroom. Teaching of Psychology, 20, 41-43.