托福口语 Task 3

Cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes simultaneously. This discomfort often prompts individuals to reduce the inconsistency by changing their beliefs, adding new cognitions, or trivializing the conflict. Psychologists argue that the drive to resolve dissonance is a fundamental human motivation, influencing decision-making and behavior change. For example, a smoker who knows smoking is harmful faces dissonance. To reduce it, he might quit, rationalize the risk, or deny the evidence.

Professor: Today we'll see cognitive dissonance in action. Consider a student, Maria, who strongly values honesty. During a final exam, she realizes she can easily peek at her neighbor's answer sheet. She feels a sharp tension between her value of honesty and her desire for a good grade. That tension is dissonance. To resolve it, Maria initially thinks, 'Well, everyone does it sometimes.' But that doesn't sit well. So she decides to change her behavior—she covers her paper and focuses on her own work. Afterward, she feels relief and even more committed to honesty. Interestingly, if she had cheated, she might have instead changed her belief to 'Cheating is acceptable when everyone does it' to reduce the discomfort.