Reading passage

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological concept introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957. It refers to the mental discomfort or tension that individuals feel when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes simultaneously. This discomfort often leads people to change one of the conflicting beliefs or behaviors to reduce the dissonance and achieve internal consistency. For example, if someone values health but smokes, they may experience cognitive dissonance. To alleviate this discomfort, they might either quit smoking or justify the behavior by downplaying the health risks. Cognitive dissonance is a fundamental theory used to understand decision-making and behavior change in individuals.

Listening transcript

Alright, class. Today, let's delve into cognitive dissonance with some real-world examples. Imagine you're a student who believes that studying hard is crucial for success. Yet, you frequently procrastinate and watch TV instead. This conflict between your belief in hard work and your actual behavior can create cognitive dissonance. To resolve this, you might decide to study more diligently or convince yourself that relaxation is equally important. Another example is related to environmental concerns. Suppose someone believes in protecting the environment but drives a gas-guzzling car. The dissonance here might lead them to start using public transport more often or rationalize their car usage by emphasizing other eco-friendly actions they take. In both cases, cognitive dissonance pushes individuals towards changing their behaviors or beliefs to restore harmony.

Speaking task instruction

Explain the concept from the reading and use the professor’s examples to show how it works. Preparation time: 30 seconds, Response time: 60 seconds.

Sample student response

The reading passage explains cognitive dissonance as the mental discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs. In the lecture, the professor gives two examples. First, a student who values hard work but procrastinates might feel this discomfort. They could resolve it by studying more or believing relaxation is important. Second, someone who cares about the environment but drives a polluting car might experience cognitive dissonance. To reduce it, they might use public transportation or justify their actions by noting other eco-friendly habits. These examples show that cognitive dissonance can lead people to change behaviors or beliefs to feel more consistent inside.