Cognitive dissonance

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cognitive-dissonance

1. What is the psychological theory?
2. What is the originator?
3. Why does our brain feel uncomfortable when we do something that doesn't match our beliefs?
4. How do people fix cognitive dissonance?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the psychological theory?A theory explaining mental discomfort from holding conflicting cognitions
2. What is the originator?Leon Festinger, published in 'A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance' (1957)
3. Why does our brain feel uncomfortable when we do something that doesn't match our beliefs?Because it creates a conflict inside us, and we naturally want to make everything feel balanced again.
4. How do people fix cognitive dissonance?They can change one of the ideas, add a new idea that explains the conflict, or only listen to information that agrees with what they already think.

Cognitions: Mental elements including beliefs, attitudes, values, and knowledge of behaviors.
Internal Consistency: The state where an individual's thoughts, beliefs, and actions are in harmony.
Psychological Stress: Aversive mental tension or discomfort arising from internal conflict.