Replicating Festinger and Carlsmith, students performed a tedious peg-turning task and were paid either 20 to tell a waiting student the task was enjoyable. Students paid 20. Both groups initially reported the task as boring.
Which condition would most strongly REDUCE the dissonance effect in the $1 group?
- A
Shortening the original peg task
- B
Asking participants to tell more strangers
- Ccheck_circle
Telling participants they had no choice but to lie
- D
Increasing perceived freedom of choice
Explanation
Dissonance requires perceived choice. If participants believe their behavior was coerced, the inconsistency does not implicate the self, and attitude change is unnecessary.