Action-Based Model of Cognitive Dissonance

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

The theory of cognitive dissonance has been one of the most important and generative theories in social psychology. It has been used to better understand attitude, belief, value, and behavior change. Despite the amount of research on the theory, the mechanisms underlying the production of the cognitive and behavioral changes produced by dissonance are not well understood. Understanding the processes by which cognitive, affective, and behavioral changes result from dissonance and the conditions that intensify such changes should advance theoretical development and be useful to persons attempting to promote change in others in educational, organizational, therapeutic, and community settings. The present proposal presents a model of dissonance - the action-based model - that asserts that dissonance, an aversive motivational state, occurs because a sufficient inconsistency between cognitions (defined broadly as knowledge about one's attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors) has the potential to interfere with effective and unconflicted action. Experiments will test the idea that processes that facilitate goal-directed thinking (which has been found to increase goal-directed action) will increase left frontal cortical brain activity and cognitive discrepancy reduction (i.e., the attitude change that results from dissonance). Left frontal cortical brain activity is predicted to increase because past research has suggested that the left frontal region is involved in self-regulation, planning, and intention. In addition, an experiment will test the hypothesis that the manipulation of the left frontal cortical brain activity -- a proposed mediator of the effects of goal-directed thinking on increased discrepancy reduction -- will increase cognitive discrepancy reduction. Experiments will also test whether increasing the salience of the action implications of cognitions (beliefs or emotions) involved in the cognitive discrepancy will increase the degree to which persons reduce cognitive dissonance. Finally, an experiment will compare predictions derived from self-affirmation theory with those derived from the action-based model. The proposed model and experiments have the potential to assist in understanding the motivation underlying attitude, belief, value, and behavior change, to resolve debates among revisions of dissonance theory, to synthesize dissonance theory with self-regulation and action-control theories, to offer insights into the role of the prefrontal cortex, and to shed light on clinical problems such as depression, at both cognitive and neuroscientific levels of analysis.