Students of a college in Lucknow spent an hour on a very dull task of sorting beads. Each student was then asked to tell the next participant, waiting outside, that the task was very interesting. Half of them were paid Rs. 20 for saying this; the other half were paid Rs. 1,000. Three weeks later, a different researcher asked all of them to recall the task and rate how interesting they had really found it. The study was planned on the lines of a classic experiment on telling a lie for twenty dollars.
Three weeks later, which result is most likely?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The Rs. 20 group rates the task as more interesting than the Rs. 1,000 group does.
Option (1) The Rs. 20 group rates the task as more interesting than the Rs. 1,000 group does. — Correct. The Rs. 20 group, like the <strong>$1 group</strong>, lied for a tiny payment. They feel <strong>cognitive dissonance</strong> and reduce it by finding the task more interesting.
Option (2) The Rs. 1,000 group rates the task as more interesting than the Rs. 20 group does. — Incorrect. This reverses the result. A large payment justifies the lie, so this group feels no dissonance and keeps seeing the task as boring.
Option (3) Both groups rate the task as equally interesting, since both told the same lie. — Incorrect. Both groups told the same lie, but only the small payment leaves the lie without a good reason. So the two groups do not rate it the same.
Option (4) Both groups rate the task as equally boring, since the task itself was dull. — Incorrect. The Rs. 1,000 group does rate it boring. The Rs. 20 group, however, changes its attitude to reduce dissonance, so the ratings differ.
NCERT (2026-27): “Factors that Influence Attitude Change … |