Dissonance, social consequences and methods of conflict resolution

Resolution of cognitive dissonance following a pleasant and unpleasant task was examined under conditions of high and low justification. Sixty male participants either wrote numbers at random, or rated a series of feminine photos, watched a film, and decided a verdict on a court case. Justification was varied by the offer of monetary payment or lack of such payment prior to a request for counterattitudinal description of the task. All participants described the task to the next participant (confederate), a peer. Both task and justification main effects were observed (p < .01) indicating mode of dissonance resolution to be a function of situational variables. Changes in task ratings supported dissonance theory predictions only when consequences of the advocacy were unequivocally negative.