Reduction in Cognitive Dissonance According to Normative Standards in the Induced Compliance Paradigm

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of the assessment of the discrepant act on dissonance reduction. In particular, we tested the influence of normative standards on a trivialization of the discrepant act and the assessment of research topic importance. The results suggest that dissonance reduction varies depending on whether the discrepant act is assessed as violating normative standards or not. In the cognitive dissonance state and in the absence of standards, performing a discrepant act leads individuals to trivialize it. However, when individuals perceive that the discrepant act violates normative standards, they reduce cognitive dissonance by overestimating the research topic. This result is interpreted in terms of the avoidance of negative consequences of social control reactions and the protection of self-concept.

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“…I am also very proud that Social Psychology has become a truly international journal – in 2013, we published research from Australia (e.g., Laham & Kashima, 2013), Austria (e.g., Greitemeyer, 2013), Belgium (e.g., De Houwer & Smith, 2013), China (e.g., Bi, Ybarra, & Zhao, 2013), France (e.g., Voisin & Fointiat, 2013), Germany (e.g., Nestler & Egloff, 2013), Israel (e.g., Tov-Nachlieli, Shnabel, & Nadler, 2013), Italy (e.g., Bertolotti, Catellani, Douglas, & Sutton, 2013), the Netherlands (e.g., IJzerman, Karremans, Thomsen, & Schubert, 2013), New Zealand (e.g., Osborne, Wootton, & Sibley, 2013), Norway (Phelps, Ommundsen, Türken, & Ulleberg, 2013), Poland (e.g., Wojciszke & Sobiczewska, 2013), Portugal (e.g., Alves & Correia, 2013), Spain (e.g., Herrera & Sani, 2013), Sweden (e.g., Agerström, Björklund, & Carlsson, 2013), UK (e.g., Viki, Abrams, & Winchester, 2013), and the USA (e.g., Zawadzki, Warner, & Shields, 2013). While more submissions come from within Europe compared to the rest of the world, the diversity of countries of origin of papers shows the international appeal of the journal.…”