High and Low Cognitive Dissonances1

High and Low Cognitive Dissonances:Interests and Careers of ArchitectureNg J.Taylors University

AbstractThis paper focus on the examination and research on high and low cognitive dissonances in terms of the students interest on architecture. The review of literature in this paper leads to the research questions: How the students interests on architecture produce a high or low cognitive dissonance on the student? The methods chosen to answer the research question would be based on the concepts learnt in the class and the information relevance, individualistic and collectivistic attribution. Numerous theories have been projected to elucidate the behavioural and attitudinal changes and recipients scope of interests. Although the literature covers a wide diversity of such theories, this review will emphasizes on five major themes which arise frequently throughout the literature reviewed. These themes are: the justification of students art talents, the comparison of enthusiasm levels between dissimilar adaptation, the justification of futuristic contributions and deficits, the fear of misapprehensions, and the values of investments. Although the literature addresses these themes in a variety of frameworks, this paper will primarily concentrates on their application to the high and low cognitive dissonances.

Cognitive dissonances is the involvement between imaginary and factual conflicts which the type of assessment in turn produced result on decision-making. Different justification has been made by student in order to maximize the output of decision-making. Countless literature contexts has ascertained the level of differences in preference collections leads to the high or low cognitive dissonances, yet the contexts of students cognitive dissonances must be scrutinized. Literature ReviewCognitive Dissonance TheoryFestinger (1957) distinct cognitive dissonance into three settings: (1) dissonance occurs when a persons attitudes contradict other attitudes or behaviours, (2) dissonance is an aversive state, therefore, a person feels pressure to reduce the dissonance and prevent future increases of dissonance, (3) a person tries to reduce this aversive state through behaviour changes, changes of cognition and avoidance of introduction to new information or opinions that could produce dissonance. Festinger contextually defined cognitive dissonance as knowledge of reality that person has about himself, his behaviour, and his surroundings (Festinger, 1957).Justification of EffortAccording to Danny Axsom, effort justification is when people make sacrifices to pursue a goal, the effort is often rationalized by elevating the attractiveness of the goal. Axsom and Cooper (1985) ascertained that if indeed an objective or the avenue via which a goal is obtained is not initially attractive, an individual may later look to their own past behaviour to determine their attitude towards the goal. Individual who contributed much effort in the accomplishment of a goal would seem that involvement as worthwhile and more attractive in terms of attainment; these rationalization reduces the cognitive dissonance (Maich, 2014). Danny Axsom discovered that the potential of inconsistencies amid the vital cognitions unveils motivations, matching ones attitudes comprehensible to ones behaviour. He concludes that the involvement includes sacrifices of physical and mental energy, expenditures, endurance in embarrassment. Level of Cognitive Dissonance Brehm (1956) highlighted consequences of making a choice in post-decision dissonance. The level of dissonance is manipulated into (1) low-dissonance group which offered an easier choice between a desirable and undesirable item, where participants post-decision ratings were about the same as their pre-decision ratings, and (2) high-dissonance condition which being offered a difficult choice between two items they found equally attractive, where ratings increased for the chosen item, decreased for the item that was not chosen. According Joel Cooper and Russell Fazio (1984) stated other factors that contributed to the levelling of dissonance are negative consequences, personal responsibility, freedom of choice, foreseeability, arousal and attribution. Fazio and others (1977) concludes that highly discrepant behaviour produces attitude change through dissonance, whereas slightly discrepant behaviour produces change through self-perception. East Asian Cultural Influences on Cognitive Dissonance Saul Kassin, Steven Fein and Hazel Rose Markus (2011) stressed that, cultural context influence the arousal and reduction of cognitive dissonance. According to Saul and others (2011), East Asian cultural individuals probable to create subjective decisions which, (1) benefits their ingroup members, and (2) take the well-being of others into account in making those decisions. Utilizing these literature to form theoretical assumptions, the student accrued confusions and conflicts in terms of her self-interests and future rewards. These aroused complications are to be observed through her progress of effort justification between the preference collections. With that stated, the method that follows will attempt to answer the following research questions:(1) How the students interests on architecture produce a high or low cognitive dissonance on the student? (2) Why the students interests on architecture produce a high or low cognitive dissonance on the student?MethodologyIn attempt to answer the research questions, a combination of experimental assumptions and personal experiences would be used. The nature of this study would require the application of justification of effort and reduction of cognitive dissonances to dimensionally analyse the social perspectives and personal decision-making that resulted in a high or low cognitive dissonance. This study would be attempting to discover which aspects has the greatest positive influence for the students acceptances. This study would be focused on determining causality in terms of personal perception and attribution. Social perception is highly subjective and expressed differently in each selective consequences. High-Dissonance ConditionFollowing to the fundamental interests on art, student are prone to select between fine art and building construction art, architecture. Student adopted her future prospect through direct rationalization, and the justification is as such: student embraced art with the willingness and sought to dominate the york of cultural and economical living. Thoughtful decision-making, confirmation and supportive attribution has been made from: external factors, such as opposition of family, and internal factors, such as the faith in belief which will positively impacted my vision of future career. As to enrol into foundation and degree of architecture, student has optimism about success, availability, capability, professionalism, passion, determination and opportunity. This decision is support by religious and collectivistic cultures respectively: (1) student sought to connect to interactive media of faiths, beliefs and holistic cultures, and (2) increase attainment in contributive, productive, continuous, meaningful, functional and influential outcomes. Architecture learning provides a platform for religious realization through religious building studies, and economical solutions and managements for the welfare of society. Student confidently support her own preference which be seem magnificent even before graduation, beginning of career and understanding success, partially because there is no compensation of time, effort and money, which in turn reduced post-decision dissonance. Low-Dissonance ConditionResulting from the enrolment of architecture foundation and degree, student are prone to select their career specialty and environment: historical architectural firm, and contemporary architectural firm. Students dreamed career is to being employed by a historical architectural firm. Thus far, students learning experiences encompassed: (1) traditional architectural art, which influences by religious and East Asian collectivistic cultures, and historical art cultures, and (2) modern architectural art, which influenced by mass media art, manufactural art, fashion art and liberal art. Once submitted to the thriving world, student is engulfed in two delusion: (1) loss of passion, determination and continuity, and (2) failure in succeeding career and various kinds of leadership. In order to overcome these superstitions, student sought to gain a sustaining, attractive, suitable and available source of income, which could be conceived by the life of passion and being not vulnerable to fear of regrets, disregards or discovery of the misleading and unattractive content that failed to shape future vision.

ReferencesBaumeister, R. F. & Vohs K. D. (2007). Effort Justification. Encyclopedia of Social Psychology.Cognitive Dissonance Theory (2010). Psychwiki Website. Maich, K. H. G. (2014). Reducing Cognitive Dissonance through Effort Justification: Evidence from Past Studies and Daily Experience. Western Undergraduate Psychology Journal, 11(1), 2.Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2011). Social Psychology. Belmont: Wadsworth.