...Cognitive Dissonance Anna Parks PSY/400 10-13-14 Mrs. Bunke Cognitive Dissonance People can display themselves outwardly in a certain manner although on the inside be completely different. A person’s attitude and behavior can influence each other; a person’s surrounds will also have an impact on how the person is. An example of this can be seen in a person committing a crime such as shoplifting, the person knows this is illegal and not moral but in the right situation the person may forget his or her moral upbringing and commit the crime any way. Influences on the individual can be overpowering, causing the person to behave or act in an attitude different from the person’s normal action and behavior. People tend to suffer from moral hypocrisy, as most people are moral hypocrites. A person who is morally corrupt should not think that he or she can change his or her behavior, when he or she cannot change his or her own attitude. Shoplifting is a crime, but under the right influence a person may be tempted to commit such a crime, moral hypocrisy is one reason a person would act differently than expected, cognitive dissonance is another factor that may persuade the person to forget his or her upbringing. A young woman, Carla, walks into a department store. She has many thoughts going through her mind. She is thinking about the items that she wants but cannot afford on her own because she is not quite old enough for a job and her parents will not buy her the outfit she has...
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...Cognitive Processes Paper Cristala Walker August 8, 2012 INTRODUCTION This paper will examine the cognitive processes of attention, language, and problem solving. This paper will explain the purpose of each cognitive processes. This paper will also summarize and evaluate the studies of these cognitive processes and also the research methodology that they focus on. Cognitive processes are very important for human behavior. It is about the knowledge and the way people use his or her knowledge. Cognitive processes affect individuals in everyday life, often occurring within fractions of a second. EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF EACH COGNITIVE PROCESS Language is used to communicate feelings, thoughts, and ideas effectively. The use of language begins at a very young age, some would agree before birth. Language is spoken in a mixture of techniques from oral, to sign language to body language. In language there is a collection of terms, which is related to a particular topic, and the collection of terms is identified as a lexicon. Language and lexicon mutually combined because of the recollection of vocabulary or verbal communication, which transmits to cognitive psychology because the occurrence of lexical judgments in processing vocabulary in the cognitive mind. The main aspects of verbal communication are communicative, uninformed, controlled, generative, and self-motivated. The communicative part of language is the speech between two individuals. The uniformed part is the...
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...Cognitive Psychology Cognitive Psychology Cognitive psychology studies how people think. It also studies how people remember, perceive, and learn. It focuses on how humans store information. This fairly new branch of psychology is set up to establish ways to improve memory and increase the ability to make accurate decisions. It is also used in education to develop curriculum that facilitates learning (Cherry, n.d.). Understanding cognition has many implications. In education, it can improve the retention of information and thus place more value on learning. In the work place it could potentially improve efficiency and productivity. Jean Piaget was the first psychologist to systematically study cognitive development, especially in children. He developed many tests to expose various cognitive abilities. Through these tests, he was able to put to rest the assumption that children are less competent thinkers than their adult counterparts. In fact his research showed that children think in ways completely different than adults (Jean Piaget, n.d.). Noam Chomsky argued in the 1950’s that linguistics should be seen as an extension of cognitive psychology; however, he opposed the traditional learning theory of how language is acquired. According to Chomsky’s views, aspects of knowledge and ability in linguistics are a direct result of one’s innate ability to use it. This is termed language acquisition device, or LAD. Language acquisition devices enable children without developmental...
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...Cognitive Dissonance PSY/400 Cognitive Dissonance What is doing the right thing? Is doing the right thing always going to be the right thing to do ? Are there limits on doing what is right? Are there exceptions on what is right? When looking at cognitive dissonance, one has to understand what cognitive dissonance is. Cognitive dissonance is the feeling of when a person holds two conflicting thoughts in their mind at the same time. According to ITS psychology dictionary, Cognitive dissonance is define as, “a state of tension created when there are conflicts between an individual's behavior and beliefs, or between two beliefs.” (ITS Tutorial School, 2005) In this paper, the reader will look at a situation, and will automatically be able to see cognitive dissonance. We will then analyze the social, cultural, and spiritual influences on the individual’s behavior and his or her ethics. Describe the reciprocal relationship between behavior and attitudes, and explain how the individual could have used cognitive dissonance theory to rationalize his or her behavior. The Situation A man, Bob, meets a girl, Sarah, and starts to get to know her. Bob and Sarah start to click, then decide to take their relationship to another level. Bob and Sarah made the decision to become a couple and even talk about marriage. The relationship becomes serious but is still extremely new. Bob and Sarah really did not give each other a chance to get to know each other and start...
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...Thomas Powers and Eric Jack look into, “The Influence of Cognitive Dissonance on Retail Product Returns” in their research. The researchers specify two parts of cognitive dissonance used in their study: product and emotional dissonance. These dimensions are defined by the scholars in their article as follows, “Product related cognitions related to dissonance are based on unknown outcomes different from the actual purchase (Powers & Jack, 2013)” and “The emotional dimension of dissonance has been described as a sense of disappointment or sadness due to the choice made with the possibility that the outcome would have been better if the customer had acted differently (Powers & Jack, 2013).” The three variables that influence cognitive dissonance resulting in product returns as defined Powers & Jack are the consideration of liberal return policies, customer opportunism, and switching barriers. The researchers look into these three influencers and two moderators in their study. Gender and the store brand are established as the moderators of the study and used to look more in depth at the results of the study. Overall the researchers want to learn about how the actions retailers take can impact customer’s decisions to return products. Eight hypotheses are made by Powers & Jack to be tested in their study. The first three hypotheses delve into the three variables of cognitive dissonance: liberal return policies, customer opportunism, and switching barriers. Three...
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...this are shown in our everyday lives. For example, when we are at a crowded restaurant with a bunch of different conversations going on a person is concentrated only on their conversation at their table or talking on the phone to someone while driving is all examples of covert attention. This research study is going to test the past research that has been conducted on covert attention to prove it true or not. This study will also have a fixated point, thats an arrow pointing left or right, that the participants will focus on while trying to answer whether or not there is a blinking box to the left or right of the screen. Method Participants The sample used for this study on covert attention was my Kennesaw State University class of cognitive psychology taught by Dr. Tim Martin. This project was chosen to be done by Dr. Tim Martin and the class because we would have a substantial number of different demographics of individuals in the class to conduct a study of covert attention. The number of participants in this study was N=31 with mostly college aged individuals(18-22) and two older individuals that were 40 years of age or older. All participants participated in the study and completed all parts of the study required of them. Materials This study was done using an APA...
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...The cognitive approach in psychology focuses on the internal mental processes of an individual. The word cognition refers to the process by which the sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered and used; this definition was from Ulric Neisser. This approach was very dominated in the 1950âs onwards. This was because of the modern research on human performance and attention during the 2nd world war, developments in computer science, artificial intelligence and the growing interest in linguistics. This approach is different from other approached in different ways. On way is that the approach adopts the use of scientific, experimental methods to measure mental processes rejecting the psychodynamic use of introspection. Another difference is that the approach advocates the importance of mental processes such as beliefs, desires and motivation in determining behaviour unlike the behaviourist approach. Cognitive psychologists focus mainly on the internal mental processes like memory. Interest is taken in how individuals can learn to solve problem and the mental processes that exist between stimulus and response. A certain model of this is the information processing approach. The information processing approach can be compared to a computer in terms of the mind the software and the brain being the hardware, this is just like a computer. As individuals we encode information, store or transform information also like a computer. Information-processing...
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...Cognitive Processes According to Robinson-Riegler and Robinson-Riegler (2008), learning is a natural task carried out by humans to facilitate better and more fulfilling life development. In general, human beings learn through, observation or even through other classical methods. Humans learn how to adapt to specific disciplines as well as how to ignore some unnecessary responsive stimulus though classical methods. However, in applying the available learning methods, human beings must pass through a comprehensive cognitive process. There are several types of stimulus or cognitive processes common in human growth and development. Different people employ the available cognitive processes at different times in their life time. The identification of the common cognitive processes as well as their purpose in human development is exceptionally decisive in facilitating the understanding of human cognitive development. Common Cognitive Processes By referring to Robinson-Riegler and Robinson-Riegler (2008), the first main cognitive process is perception. Perception entails the front-end process which helps in the organization and interpretation of the received information. Perception is usually based on auditory information as well as visual information. Perception is acquired through observation and listening to the emerging information, as well as organization of the received information in human mind. The second main cognitive stage is identification process. Although this process...
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...Cognitive Dissonance Theory According to Myers (2010), cognitive dissonance is a situation that arises bringing tension from ides and actions upon each other. One of the main purposes of cognitive dissonance theory is to change the individual’s attitudes and hold them accountable for their actions. This theory believe that if a person or individuals could take on the responsibility of their negative actions, a change is more likely to happen in their behavior (Cheng & Hsu, 2012). On the other hand, if they are not willing to accept the consequence that comes with the action, the behavior will continue. A situation, such as second-degree murder, Zimmerman could have used cognitive dissonance theory to rationalize his behavior. Murder is a crime, and any one who commits such crime realize that it is not morally correct and the action will have consequences. Zimmerman claim he shot Martin in self-defense, and was acquitted of his charges. In this situation, murder was not understandable or justified. He was thinking about the welfare of himself and no the welfare of Trayvon Martin, an innocent child. Zimmerman believed that he was protecting his community and by all means possible. A person in his situation felt that he needed to do whatever in order change the situation. The decision of Zimmerman did not make it better for either family, his actions made the matter worse. When a person does not rationalize his or her thoughts, his or her behaviors will result inappropriately...
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...My 30 minute trial - Nuremberg style... In opening, let me state quite unreservedly that I eat and use animal products without compunction. Over the years I have thought about my moral stance on these matters and happily come to the informed conclusion that my consumption and use of animal products sits with my moral values and vice versa. The interview began quite innocuously. As the interview continued I was questioned about my consumption of animal product, then asked if had any companion animals (I have two for my children's sake). As the questioning proceeded I was lead through a faulty path of logic and reason such that the next question not only assaulted my moral stance but appeared to be extraordinarily judgemental. The offending question was, "Would you ever knowingly do something that caused harm to animals when alternatives were readily available?" Dissonance was firmly afoot; my having to answer in the affirmative if I were to be consistent, or answer 'no' in case I be judged as a murderer. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! So having chosen to be true to myself I chose to don the murderer's mantle. The interview continued by warning me that I may learn information that I have not been exposed to in the past and experience emotional challenges if I elected to proceed. Being the reasonable self-aware psychological adventurer I had nothing to lose so was then set upon by statements about 'unnatural practices'. In the meantime I continued to feel judged...
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...Cognitive Psychology emerged as a reaction to Behaviourism. Discuss Cognitive psychology is the school of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember and learn. As part of the larger field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy and linguistics. Whereas Behaviorism suggests that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes rather than by internal forces. Behaviorism is focused on observable behavior. Theories of learning including classical conditioning and operant conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research. Cognitive psychology began to emerge during the 1950s, partly as a response to behaviorism. According to Anderson (1996), cognitive psychology first emerged in the two decades between 1950 and 1970. The modern development of cognitive psychology was due to the WWII focus on research on human performance and attention, developments in computer science, especially those in artificial intelligence, and the renewal of interest in the field of linguistics. Critics of behaviorism noted that it failed to account for how internal processes impacted behavior. This period of time is sometimes referred to as the "cognitive revolution" as a wealth of research on topics such as information processing, language, memory and perception began to emerge. One of the most influential theories from this school of thought was the stages of cognitive development...
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...Cognitive psychology was introduced when there were flaws found in the areas of behaviorism (Galotti, 2014). The field of behaviorism began moving their concerns towards observable behaviors instead of focusing on the mind (Galotti, 2014). Since this was occurring cognitive psychology was born. This aspect of psychology began emphasizing on how the mind thinks and functions (Galotti, 2014). For instance, cognitive psychology encompasses areas of learning, memory, attention, perception, reasoning, language, conceptual development, and decision making (Galotti, 2014). It is defined as the scientific study of mental processing (Galotti, 2014). Cognitive psychology concentrates on how an individual stores, processes, acquires, and interprets the world around them. And it also tries to classify certain behaviors that are presented through different characteristics (Willingham, 2007). Once this area of psychology was introduced it brought back the importance of studying the mind. In the next following sections they will cover the key milestones in the development of cognitive psychology and the importance of behavioral observation in this field. Key milestones in the development of cognitive psychology There were four key milestones that had a hand in developing cognitive psychology. The milestones were: neuroscience, information processing model, artificial intelligence, and the criticism of behaviorism (Carley, 2012). The criticism that behaviorism received was...
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...Article Critic on Cognitive Development ECE353: Cognitive Developments of Infants & Young Children Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence, and into adulthood. Cognitive development refers to how a person perceives, thinks, and gains understanding of his or her world through the interaction of around them, genetic influences, and learned factors often model by a child’s parents and teachers. “Among the areas of cognitive development are information processing, intelligence, reasoning, language development, and memory” (Blumberg, 2004), however historically cognitive development in children has been studied in a variety of ways, and has been explained in several different manners. While most psychologists believe there is a developmental cognitive stage the each explains the stage differently in order to defend their findings and information. Recently I read four different articles relate to cognitive development, and realized that although all psychologists believe this stage to exist, they all understand it differently, and explain it differently as well. While many believe cognitive development is solely representative of one’s surroundings, others believe it can be influenced by one’s genetic making, or situational circumstances. In the first article I read, cognitive development was explained as something highly influenced by a person’s cultural...
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...Cognitive Psychology Definition Cognitive Psychology Definition (Scholarpedia, 2007) states “Cognitive psychology is the scientific investigation of human cognition, that is, all our mental abilities – perceiving, learning, remembering, thinking, reasoning, and understanding. It is closely related to the highly interdisciplinary cognitive science and influenced by artificial intelligence, computer science, philosophy, anthropology, linguistics, biology, physics, and neuroscience” (Dosher, Lin-Lu, 2007, p. 2769). Cognitive psychology uses experiments and the scientific method to establish how humans transform sensory input into one’s own thoughts, which in turn becomes the individual’s actions through the intricate series of one’s cognition (Willingham, 2007). In the beginnings of the 20th Century cognitive psychology declined, because of the rise in behaviorism. In the mid- 1950’s the cognitive revolution developed because of the lack of behaviorism ideas and understanding “between memory and performance, and complex learning” (Dosher, Lin-Lu, 2007, p. 2769). Cognitive psychology began to come into play with the support of brand new technology, concepts that were abstract, and neuroscience (Willingham, 2007). Milestones in the Development of Cognitive Psychology As mentioned earlier behaviorism begin to accumulate problems around the mid- 1950s. One of the considerable problems was...
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...1 Cognitive Psychology Dustin Finn PSY/360 September 20, 2015 Melissa Jackson 2 Cognitive Psychology Cognitive psychology can be defined as the study of the mind and mental functions. Some of these functions include learning, memory, and perception. Other functions are reasoning, language and decision making. Cognition has been studied recently as being a complex computing system. However, scientists began studying this form of psychology as early as the 1800’s. While it contains some flaws, it did create some milestones for cognitive psychology. The Beginning of Cognitive Psychology Back in 1868, a scientist named Franciscus Donders became interested in determining on how long it takes to make a decision. He used reaction time to try and formulate decision making. We learned from Donders studies, that mental processes cannot be measured directly. In, fact we base our findings from certain behaviors, biological changes and behavioral changes as they are affected by biological differences. In 1879, we saw the beginning of structuralism. Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Tichner focused on the conscious experience. They tried to find a “periodic table” for the mind and used an analytic introspection method. In regards to cognitive psychology, they emphasized a systematic, controlled observation. Wundt and Tichner emphasized the importance of understanding the structure of the mind and higher ...
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