托福口语 Task 3

In psychology, the term 'cognitive dissonance' refers to the mental discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes, especially when these contradictions are related to their behavior. This discomfort often leads individuals to alter their beliefs or rationalize their actions to reduce the inconsistency and restore internal harmony. The theory suggests that people are motivated to achieve cognitive consistency, and when they fail to do so, they will engage in mental strategies to justify their choices or behaviors.

Professor: Let me give you a classic example from a study. Imagine students are asked to perform a very boring task, like turning pegs on a board for an hour. Afterward, they are asked to tell the next participant that the task was actually fun and exciting. Some students are paid one dollar for this lie, while others are paid twenty dollars. The students paid one dollar experienced strong cognitive dissonance—they had lied for almost no reward, which conflicted with their honesty. To reduce this discomfort, they convinced themselves the task was genuinely enjoyable. However, those paid twenty dollars felt no dissonance because the large payment justified their lie, so they continued to view the task as boring.