Cognitive Dissonance Theory

According to Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory, attitude change happens when there is a conflict between two cognitions. This discomfort leads to changes to restore consonance. The correct order of these steps based on Festinger’s theory is:
- A (It emphasizes on the cognitive component): Cognitive dissonance theory focuses on the cognitive aspects of attitude change.
- C (The cognitive components of an attitude must be in consonance with each other): The theory holds that for a person to feel comfortable, their attitudes need to align.
- B (Holding two opposing ideas/cognitions makes an individual feel that something is out of tune): This dissonance causes psychological discomfort.
- D (One of the ideas will have to be changed so that consonance can be attained): To resolve the discomfort, one of the conflicting ideas will be changed.
Thus, the correct sequence is A, C, B, D.

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The experiment conducted by Leon Festinger and James Carlsmith in 1959 is one of the most classic studies in social psychology. It aimed to test the theory of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
In the experiment, participants were asked to perform a very dull and repetitive task. Afterwards, they were paid either \$1 or \$20 to tell the next participant that the task was enjoyable and interesting. The key finding was that those who were paid only \$1 (insufficient justification for lying) later rated the boring task as more enjoyable than those who were paid \$20. The \$1 group experienced high dissonance (My behavior of lying contradicts my belief that the task was boring), and since the external justification (\$1) was low, they reduced the dissonance by changing their attitude to believe the task was actually somewhat fun.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The famous Festinger and Carlsmith experiment was designed to demonstrate Cognitive dissonance.