The Origins of Cognitive Dissonance

TLDR

Previous adult research suggested that choosing between two equally preferred items would create dissonance by conflicting with the belief that both options were equally valuable. The authors aimed to test whether this initial choice would lead subjects to devalue the unchosen alternative. The study presented preschoolers and capuchins with a first choice between two equally attractive items, then a second choice between the previously unchosen item and a new equally attractive option. Both groups chose the novel option only when they had made an initial choice, providing the first evidence of decision rationalization in children and nonhuman primates and implying that cognitive‑dissonance mechanisms may have developmental and evolutionary origins earlier than previously thought.

Abstract

In a study exploring the origins of cognitive dissonance, preschoolers and capuchins were given a choice between two equally preferred alternatives (two different stickers and two differently colored M&M's®, respectively). On the basis of previous research with adults, this choice was thought to cause dissonance because it conflicted with subjects' belief that the two options were equally valuable. We therefore expected subjects to change their attitude toward the unchosen alternative, deeming it less valuable. We then presented subjects with a choice between the unchosen option and an option that was originally as attractive as both options in the first choice. Both groups preferred the novel over the unchosen option in this experimental condition, but not in a control condition in which they did not take part in the first decision. These results provide the first evidence of decision rationalization in children and nonhuman primates. They suggest that the mechanisms underlying cognitive-dissonance reduction in human adults may have originated both developmentally and evolutionarily earlier than previously thought.