How would you arrange the events mentioned below in correct order to explain the concept of cognitive dissonance and bring cognitive consistency?
A. Smoking causes oral cancer which is fatal.
B. He is a chain smoker.
C. Dissonance in the attitude towards smoking.
D. In order to reduce or remove the dissonance he will try to quit smoking.
E. This would be the healthy and sensible way of attaining consonance.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → A, B, C, D, E
Cognitive dissonance, proposed by Leon Festinger, rests on the idea that the cognitive components of an attitude must be consonant, that is, logically in line with each other. When two cognitions clash, one of them is changed in the direction of consonance.
(A) Smoking causes oral cancer which is fatal. — the first cognition, a belief about the attitude object.
(B) He is a chain smoker. — the second cognition, about the person’s own behaviour, which goes against the first.
(C) Dissonance in the attitude towards smoking. — holding both ideas makes the person feel that something is ‘out of tune’ in the attitude.
(D) In order to reduce or remove the dissonance he will try to quit smoking. — one of the two cognitions has to change; he changes the second one by giving up smoking.
(E) This would be the healthy and sensible way of attaining consonance. — changing the behaviour, rather than the belief about cancer, is the healthy, logical and sensible way of reducing the dissonance, and consistency is restored.
NCERT: Psychology — Chapter 6: Attitude and Social Cognition, Process of Attitude Change (2025-26)
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