Discuss Cognitive Dissonance Theory

question 111

Essay

Discuss cognitive dissonance theory. How do individuals seek consistency among their attitudes, and between their attitudes and their behavior?

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Definitions:

Latent Learning

A form of learning that occurs without any obvious reinforcement of the behavior or associations that are learned, becoming apparent when there is an incentive to demonstrate it.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a pause, without the need for further conditioning.

Classical Conditioning

A method of learning where, through continuous pairing, a reaction initially induced by a second stimulus comes to be provoked by the first stimulus instead.

Extinction

In psychology, the gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.