Many aspects of the theory are difficult to observe and assess objectively. Leon Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory Leon Festinger. In his Psychologists on Psychology. This upward drive is a motivation to keep performing better and better, and it leads to ability comparisons with similar individuals who are slightly more capable than we are. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1957. After Boys High School, Festinger entered the College of the City of New York, and, on obtaining a BS, left in 1939 for Iowa City to study under German migr Kurt Lewin, completing his MA in 1940 and his PhD in 1942, both in the Child Welfare Research Station from the University of Iowa, although his own work was not in the area of child research. Festinger continued his research at the University of Iowa until 1943. New York: Routledge.Fehr, B. This was demonstrated in Festingers study as residents tended to befriend people who lived in the same building and on the same floor as they did. - Definition & Exercises, Cognitive-Behavior Modification Approach by Meichenbaum, Embodied Cognition: Definition, Theory & Experiments, Cognitive Inhibition: Definition & Example, Cognitive Psychotherapy: Types & Techniques, Collective Memory: Definition, History & Theory, Diminished Capacity in Psychology: Definition & Examples, Memory Reconsolidation: Definition, Theory & Example, Memory Span: Definition, Measurement & Examples, Memory Suppression: Definition & Techniques, What is Lateral Thinking? Social comparison theory also recognizes a distinctive feature of abilities. Social comparison has also been employed as a strategy for improving study habits. At least two significant influences steered Festingers interests as an undergraduate. succeed. WebLeon Festinger, (born May 8, 1919, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.died February 11, 1989, New York City), American cognitive psychologist, best known for his theory of cognitive dissonance, according to which inconsistency between thoughts, or between The smaller the functional distance, the more likely it is that people will bump into one another. Many of them did so by increasing condom usage after the study. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1956. Maslow was a prominent personality theorist and one of, Allport, Gordon Willard Student volunteers from Stanford University enrolled in a study that they thought was about task performance. When they become aware of inconsistencies, it triggers an unpleasant psychological state of arousal, which then motivates them to reduce the inconsistency. Festinger's research resulted in a number of interesting findings. Trends in Cognitive Theory. In Contemporary Approaches to Cognition, edited by H. Gruber, K. R. Hammond, and R. Jessor. Social comparison theory may be used to improve pain management in patients. Ms. Keech received a phone call from person identifying themselves as "Captain Video" PracticalPie.com is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. Gruber, H., K. R. Hammond, and R. Jessor. According to Festinger, two main factors influence the level of dissonance we experience in a given situation: Festinger specified three primary ways in which dissonance may be reduced: In 1954, Festinger proposed that humans have a natural drive to evaluate their opinions and abilities. II, edited by Gregory A. Kimble, Michael Wertheimer, and Charlotte White. The groups prophetess, Dorothy Martin (alias Mrs. Keech), foretold of the world ending on 21 December 1954. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Looking Backward. In Retrospections on Social Psychology. In addition to physical distance, Festinger and his colleagues found that functional distance also predicted friendship formation. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug02/eminent. Festinger wrote several books on his landmark research. Festinger became ill with liver and lung cancer in 1988. We may consider ourselves to be honest, but try to cheat on an online exam. Miles, J. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Is there curvature adaptation not attributable to purely intravisual phenomena. Festinger hypothesized that cognitive dissonance is an aversive state and that an individual would be motivated to reduce dissonance. Some of Festingers papers are archived in the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. PracticalPsychology. This was the question asked by a social psychologist named Leon Festinger in a book of the same title. Cognitive Dissonance in Psychology: Theory, Examples & Definition, Impression Management: Festinger's Study of Cognitive Dissonance, Post-Decision Dissonance & Counterattitudinal Advocacy. WebLeon Festinger was an American social psychologist. The predicted doomsday came and wentno flood, no flying saucers. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. . Physiological PsychologyClifford T. Morgan He attended Boys High School in Brooklyn and was a very good student. Over the years it has generated considerable research, in part because it is one of a number of theories based on the idea that consistency of thought is a strong motivating factor in people. Practical Psychology began as a collection of study material for psychology students in 2016, created by a student in the field. In D. Chadee (Ed. Leon Festinger. As they finished, they were instructed that they had to inform the next group of students that the tasks had been enjoyable and interesting. Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Festingers original theory was based on insight. Festinger, under the supervision of Max Hertzman, conducted a study of levels of aspiration, which they published together in 1940 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. escape(document.referrer)+((typeof(screen)=='undefined')? This means that, in Western cultures, complete opinion agreement may be satisfactory to everyone, but completely equal abilities will not beimplying that a state of social quiescence is never reached, as Festinger put it. Festinger, L., Sedgwick, H. A., & Holtzman, J. D. (1976). Let's say you believe animals and people are equal and should be treated with the same respect. The influence process in the presence of extreme deviates. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. There was thus a kind of feedback loop created between the real world and the laboratory, each serving to refine theory and research, as opposed to one site serving as the testing ground for application in the other. Festinger, L. (1959b). They do this by adding new information to the belief or by changing the importance of the belief or parts of the belief. In addition to challenging the dominance of behaviorism, Festinger spearheaded the use of scientific experimentation in social psychology. WebCognitive dissonance is a part of this need for consistence. The upward drive promotes competition and may interfere with the emergence of social uniformity. Wish, Expectation, and Group Performance as Factors Influencing Level of Aspiration. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 37 (1942): 184200. Leon Festinger and Cognitive Dissonance - Exploring your mind WebSocial comparison theory was first proposed by Leon Festinger in 1954 and states that individuals are continually evaluating themselves in order to assess their own standing on a wide range of characteristics. Festinger closed his lab in 1979. Please select which sections you would like to print: Professor Emeritus, Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City. The mind feels cognitive dissonance when the information it receives is contradictory to a personal belief and wants to make it more consistent. Finally, we could change how you remember the situation that caused dissonance. Learn about Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance, read the cognitive dissonance experiment, and see examples. This became known as the principle of propinquity a fancy way of saying that the closer we are to someone physically, the more likely we are to be attracted to them. Festinger, L. (1943b). Another way would be to change our action. It is important to keep in mind that none of this was true. A study of rumor transition: Its origin and spread. Festinger then became interested in archaeology as he wanted to see what else he could learn about human nature. Festinger died of cancer before publishing his last scholarly foray, leaving colleagues and others with a strong impression of Festinger as an active scholar and of the importance of stepping outside the confines of any one field or method in the study of human life. This can happen a few ways. Best known for his theory of cognitive dissonance, first introduced in 1956 in the coauthored book When Prophecy Fails, Festingers social psychology departed from mechanistic notions of humans, and he can well be considered as part of the vanguard of social psychologists who revamped views of cognition in line with the information and communication theory of the mid-twentieth century, and who brought these into play with individual and group dynamics. The cult members (who had previously avoided publicity) immediately began a vigorous campaign to attract new recruits and media attention by describing how they had saved the world. Groups faced with evidence that discon-firms their beliefs may find ways to use it to shore up those beliefs rather than disband previously held convictions. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Festinger was interested in how the group would respond to the discrepancy between their beliefs and the failed prophecy of an apocalypse. Alternative view of the "Gibson normalization effect". An analysis of Leon Festingers a theory of cognitive dissonance. that the experiment was fun. The inconsistency causes an uneasy feeling, called dissonance. People want to be slightly better than everyone else because the desire to be better or to improve is emphasized in Western cultures. In the late 1950s, two psychologists, Leon Festinger and James M. Carlsmith, did a cognitive dissonance experiment on what they called forced compliance. Festinger went to the University of Iowa to work with Lewin, and earned his PhD there in 1942. Factors such as types of goals, need for social reality, attractiveness, issue relevance, and so on were manipulated. These include the magnitude of dissonance and the modification of cognitive elements. Bruner, J. He is best known for developing cognitive dissonance theory and social comparison theory. Cohen, David. But the more famous of the two real-world studies is Festingers covert study of a small millennialist group in Oak Park, Illinois, a study serving to lay the theoretical groundwork for cognitive dissonance. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Introduction to Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Leon Festinger's Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, History and Approaches: Tutoring Solution, Biological Bases of Behavior: Tutoring Solution, Sensation and Perception: Tutoring Solution, States of Consciousness: Tutoring Solution, Studying Intelligence: History, Psychologists & Theories, History of Intelligence Testing in Psychology, Studying Intelligence: Biological vs. Environmental Factors.