托福口语 Task 3

In psychology, the concept of 'cognitive dissonance' refers to the mental discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values, or when acting in a way that contradicts their beliefs. This discomfort often leads individuals to rationalize their behavior or change their beliefs to reduce the inconsistency. Cognitive dissonance is a powerful motivator for attitude change, as people strive for internal consistency.

Professor: Let me give you an example from a study. Participants were asked to perform a boring task, like turning knobs for an hour. Afterward, they were paid either $1 or $20 to tell the next participant that the task was enjoyable. Those paid $1 experienced high dissonance because they had lied for little reward. To reduce the discomfort, they convinced themselves that the task was actually interesting. In contrast, those paid $20 had a clear external justification for their lie, so they felt little dissonance and continued to view the task as boring. This shows how people change their attitudes to align with their behavior when external reasons are weak.