At a summer workshop, students spent an hour sorting beads, a very dull task. Half of them were paid Rs. 20 and the other half Rs. 500 to tell the next batch that the task was exciting. A month later, the Rs. 20 group rated the task as more interesting than the Rs. 500 group did. The workshop leader, Dr. Rao, then had the same speaker give the same message to one participant, Harish, on two topics. His mild liking for a new tea brand changed at once. His strong belief in his family traditions, which is central to his life, did not change at all.
The result of the bead-sorting study is best explained by which of the following?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Cognitive dissonance in the Rs. 20 group
Option (1) Imbalance in the P-O-X triangle of the Rs. 20 group — Incorrect. The P-O-X triangle deals with a person, another person and a topic. Here the clash lies between a student's own ideas about the task and the lie.
Option (2) Cognitive dissonance in the Rs. 500 group — Incorrect. The large payment gave the Rs. 500 group a good reason for the lie. They felt no dissonance, so they kept calling the task boring.
Option (3) Cognitive dissonance in the Rs. 20 group — Correct. A small payment could not justify the lie, so the Rs. 20 group felt cognitive dissonance. They reduced it by changing their attitude, and rated the task as interesting. This matches the Festinger and Carlsmith study.
Option (4) Identification of the Rs. 20 group with the workshop leader — Incorrect. Identification is the first step of Mohsin's two-step concept. The leader did not change her own behaviour for the students to copy.
NCERT (2026-27): “Factors that Influence Attitude Change … |