During 1959, James Carlsmith and Leon Festinger, two renowned social psychologists conducted an experiment at Stanford University involving few students to investigate cognitive dissonance in humans.
- The purpose of the study
The purpose of this study was to suggest that humans feel psychological discomfort when they face dissonance in their environment and so they strive to remove that dissonance and achieve consonance.
- The basic procedure used
At the Stanford University, undergraduates were asked to take part in an experiment carried out by university’s department of Psychology. They were mentioned that their contribution will help in making these experiments better in the future. 71 undergraduates volunteered to participate in this experiment, which was called ‘measures of performance’. After the experiment, the participants were interviewed and based on their interviews, results were concluded.
- The independent variable
- The dependent variable
The dependent variable was the level of liking or anticipation, participants showed in the experiment.
- Findings of the study
Out of the 71 participants, 11 withdrew from the experiment in one way or another and the other 60 participants reported different responses. The ones who were paid no money to give feedback said that the task was boring. The ones who were paid $1 convinced themselves that the task was interesting and so they gave positive feedback. And the ones who were paid $20 said that the task was boring and they were only compelled to do it because they were paid for it.
- What did you find most interesting or confusing?
The interesting part about this experiment was that the few of the participants were asked to do a favor which was to inquire about the experiment from other participants who were actors in reality, and persuade them to say that the task was boring.
Survey to measure a topic of interest
This is where we will ask some questions to know what you think about the cognitive dissonance experiment.
First we will ask some questions about you
- What is your gender?
Male
Female
- What is your age?
- What is your relationship Status?
Single
Married
Separated
Divorced
- What is your highest level of education?
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Doctorate
For the next several questions, please choose a number from 0-10 and write it next to each statement to indicate how much you agree with the statement.
- Is the topic Cognitive Dissonance interesting?
- Was the experiment interesting?
- Did you feel uncomfortable participating in the experiment?
- Would you like to participate in such experiments again?
With the help of a survey, a researcher is able to collect accurate information and then draw accurate results from it.
Advantages of Using a Survey
- Surveys can be constructed quickly
- Surveys are free from several errors
- It is a cheaper research method
Disadvantages of Using a Survey
- Respondents can be dishonest
- Can lead to unclear data
- Surveys that consist of close-ended questions will have low validity
Works Cited
Festinger, L. (1962). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. California: Stanford University Press.
Wyse, S. E. (2012, November 16). Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys. Retrieved June 25, 2014, from Snap Surveys: http://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/advantages-disadvantages-surveys/
