The concept of cognitive dissonance was proposed by:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Leon Festinger
Option (1) Leon Festinger — Correct. Festinger proposed cognitive dissonance: the thoughts within an attitude must be consonant, that is, logically in line with each other. When two cognitions clash, one of them changes in the direction of consonance.
Option (2) S. M. Mohsin — Incorrect. Mohsin, an Indian psychologist, proposed the two-step concept of attitude change: the target first identifies with the source, and then the source shows attitude change, which the target copies.
Option (3) Das and Naglieri — Incorrect. With Kirby they developed the PASS model of intelligence, and they built the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) battery. Their work is on intelligence, not on attitudes.
Option (4) Fritz Heider — Incorrect. Heider proposed the balance concept of attitude change, the P-O-X triangle.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 15-05-2026 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Process of Attitude Change … (b) The concept of cognitive dissonance was proposed by Leon Festinger. It emphasises the cognitive component. Here the basic idea is that the cognitive components of an attitude must be ‘consonant’ (opposite of ‘dissonant’), i.e., they should be logically in line with each other. If an individual finds that two cognitions in an attitude are dissonant, then one of them will be changed in the direction of consonance.…” |