Comprehension Passage
Cognitive dissonance, a psychological theory proposed by Leon Festinger in 1957, describes the mental discomfort experienced when an individual holds contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes simultaneously. An illustrative experiment on this phenomenon was conducted by Festinger and Carlsmith in 1959. Participants were asked to perform a monotonous task and were subsequently paid either $1 or $20 to persuade another participant (a confederate) that the task was interesting and enjoyable. Afterward, those who were paid $1 experienced greater cognitive dissonance compared to those who were paid $20. To resolve this dissonance, the $1 group altered their attitudes, convincing themselves that the task was genuinely enjoyable. Conversely, the $20 group had sufficient external justification for lying, thus experiencing less dissonance and no significant change in attitude. This experiment demonstrated how individuals rationalize their behavior to reduce cognitive dissonance and achieve internal consistency.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the principle of minimal justification in reducing cognitive dissonance?
1
A person changes their belief about climate change after reading an extensive, evidence-based report provided by a scientific journal.
2
A student decides to join a study group because all their friends are part of it and they want to fit in socially.
3
An employee receives a large bonus for completing a challenging project and feels motivated to take on more difficult tasks in the future.
4
A person who initially dislikes a tedious task starts to find justification for it after receiving a small reward, subsequently changing their attitude to believe the task is actually interesting.