Cognitive Dissonance Research Articles

Unveiling the consequences of perceived greenwash among youth: a focus on the moderating role of environmental knowledge

Purpose When a company practices greenwashing, it breaks consumers’ trust by purposefully misleading them about its environmental practices or the benefits of its products/services. This study aims to contribute to the literature by testing the effect of perceived greenwash on green purchase intention through green trust, green perceived value and green skepticism. Furthermore, the study introduces environmental knowledge as a moderator in the relationship between perceived greenwash and three attitudinal factors by integrating the theory of cognitive dissonance and information asymmetry as a foundational framework. Design/methodology/approach The descriptive hypo-deductive research design was adopted to test the proposed model. This study performed survey research with a structured questionnaire. A sample of 432 responses was collected from youth living in India using a purposive sampling method. The validity and reliability of the model were tested using structural equation modeling, and moderation and mediation effects were examined using process macro. Findings The results support the mediation role of three attitudinal factors between perceived greenwash and green purchase intention. Furthermore, the moderation effect of environmental knowledge was significant between perceived greenwash and attitudinal factors, except between perceived greenwash and perceived green value. Practical implications This research offers valuable insights into the role of environmental knowledge and its moderating influence on shaping attitudes toward green purchase intentions. This study highlights green buying as an obscure risk, impacted by factors such as green trust, green perceived value, green skepticism and, ultimately, perceived greenwash. The proposed research framework carries significant implications for comprehending the underlying drivers of green purchase intentions, advocating for a strategic emphasis on truthful, transparent and verifiable communication by companies. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing knowledge base by delving into and examining the mediating and moderating factors influencing green purchase intentions, which was less emphasized in prior literature, especially within the context of India. The research provides empirical insights, establishes a theoretical consensus and unveils novel perspectives for reconsidering the intricate dynamics among environmental knowledge, perceived greenwash and diverse dimensions of green perceived value in the realm of sustainable products.

Prospective avenues in travel behavior research supported by the cognitive dissonance theory: A scoping review

Prospective avenues in travel behavior research supported by the cognitive dissonance theory: A scoping review

The dynamics of consumer boycott intention: Examining the roles of moral reasoning, cognitive dissonance, and self-congruence

This study addresses consumer responses to unethical corporate behavior by examining the mediating effects of three moral reasoning strategies: moral rationalization, moral decoupling, and moral coupling. Specifically, this study evaluates how these moral reasoning strategies influence consumer behavior toward accused companies, focusing mainly on boycott intentions. This study also introduces cognitive dissonance as an additional mediating factor in the moral reasoning process. Recognizing the importance of self-congruence in brand–consumer relationships, this study proposes self-congruence as a moderator. Through these contributions, this study aims to advance the understanding of the antecedents and effects of moral reasoning processes on consumer responses to corporate misconduct.

Reasoning to Justify Eating Animals Varies With Age.

The present study examined the justifications used by children, adolescents, and adults to justify eating animals. Children (n = 100, Mage = 9.82, SD = 0.77, female n = 49) as compared to adolescents (n = 76, Mage = 14.0, SD = 1.62, female n = 36) and adults (n = 113, Mage = 44.1, SD = 14.4, female n = 54) were more ambivalent or opposed to eating animals, and they showed a distinct reasoning pattern. Children relied less on arguments about meat eating being natural or with to humane slaughter practices. These findings align with recent theoretical perspectives that reasoning may be used to counter cognitive dissonance arising from knowledge of food production systems.

When Prophecy Fails: The Case of the Satmar Rebbe, the Six-Day War, and the Book Al Ha-Geula Ve-Al Ha-Temura

Abstract The term “Cognitive Dissonance” describes a psychological process that aims to reduce mental tension between conflicting understandings. Such conflicts happen, for example, when an individual or a group discovers that certain events contradict previous assumptions or beliefs. The greater the gap between reality and the presupposition, the greater the dissonance. So, when a fundamental religious belief is confronted with facts that seem to totally contradict it, there is a tremendous psychological pressure to find a way to alleviate that tension. This article reviews how the Satmar Rebbe reacted after realizing that his greatest fundamental beliefs were contradicted by a series of historical happenings. On the one hand, he wholeheartedly believed that Zionism was a great sin that forced God to punish His beloved people with the Holocaust. On the other hand, however, it appeared that God not only allowed the establishment of Israel, the pinnacle of the Zionist quest, but also blessed it with success to overcome the many obstacles it faced during its early years. Israel’s greatest achievement was its outstanding victory in the Six-Day War and the liberation of the holy places in Jerusalem’s old city. This article examines how the Satmar Rebbe sought to resolve the discrepancy between his fierce anti-Zionist stance and Israel’s triumph that even the Haredim believed was a heavenly miracle.

A Computational Analysis of the Effect of Hard Choices on the Individuation of Values

Background/Objectives: Experimental studies show that when an individual makes choices, they affect future decisions. Future choices tend to be consistent with past ones. This tendency matters in the context of ambivalent situations because they may not lead to clear choices, often leading people to make “arbitrary” decisions. Thus, because of choice consistency with the past, people’s decision-making values diverge. Thus, hard choices may contribute to the individuation of values. Methods: Here, we develop a Bayesian framework for the effects of cognitive choice consistency on decision-making. This framework thus extends earlier cognitive-science Bayesian theories, which focus on other tasks, such as inference. The minimization of total surprisals considering the history of stimuli and chosen actions implements choice consistency in our framework. We then use a computational model based on this framework to study the effect of hard choices on decision-making values. Results: The results for action selection based on sensory stimuli show that hard choices can cause the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the decision-making space. This spontaneous symmetry breaking is different across individuals, leading to individuation. If in addition, rewards are given to certain choices, then the direction of the symmetry breaking can be guided by these incentives. Finally, we explore the effects of the parametric complexity of the model, the number of choices, and the length of choice memory. Conclusions: Considering the brain’s mechanism of choice consistency and the number of hard choices made in life, we hypothesize that they contribute to individuality. We assess this hypothesis by placing our study in the context of the cognition-of-individuality literature and proposing experimental tests of our computational results.

Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic Schools

This study builds on previous research exploring the formation needs and experiences of Early Career Teachers (ECT) in Catholic Schools in an Australian regional context, particularly concerning their understanding of Catholic identity and the teaching of Religious Education. Conducted twelve months after the previous study, ‘And Now I’m Teaching in a Catholic School’ – The Experiences of Early Career Teachers (ECT) in Lismore Catholic Schools and What Can Be Learned to Support Their Formation: A Preliminary Study (Challinor, Lancaster & Rymarz, 2022), follow-up interviews with twelve ECTs indicated an ongoing cognitive dissonance between the expressed ideal of Catholic education and the lived reality in Catholic schools. The study highlights the importance of ongoing staff formation and mentoring for ECTs. Three vignettes are provided as composite accounts of the range of ECTs engaged in the study, and the various challenges and learning opportunities experienced in their early years of appointment are highlighted. Further research is planned in four years to understand how the experience of ECTs continues to evolve and what can be learned to support their retention and continual formation.

Navigating the influence of professional abstinence on pharmacy students: Observations and solutions from their perspective.

As the scope of practice continues to evolve for pharmacists, professional abstinence is being observed by students in workplaces and practicums. Professional abstinence is defined as "consciously choosing not to provide the full scope of patient care activities". Exposure of students to professional abstinence may cause cognitive dissonance, as they are challenged by practices that do not match what they are taught in school. This study explores pharmacy student perspectives on professional abstinence in community practice settings and their thoughts on how it could be addressed. Pharmacy students enrolled at an accredited Canadian pharmacy school with previous experience at a community practice site were invited to participate via email and social media. Data were collected between March and November 2021 through virtual individual interviews using a semistructured guide and the Zoom platform. Recordings were transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed using cognitive dissonance theory to guide the inductive coding and interpretation of results. Twenty students representing 6 pharmacy schools were recruited. Themes identified regarding students' experiences with professional abstinence were "introspection and reflection" and "the system", with the subthemes of emotion, excuses, professional identity and infrastructure, and inertia/disengagement, respectively. Regarding how to address professional abstinence, the themes "self as professional" and "empowering professionals" emerged. Self as professional included the subthemes of continuous learning, role modelling/mentorship, and internal drive/initiative, while empowering professionals included improved logistics, self-care, and advocacy. Students' experiences with professional abstinence led to mixed feelings and influences on their professional identity. Pharmacy schools should be made aware of the phenomenon of professional abstinence and its effect on students, as they can potentially help manage learners' cognitive dissonance and best prepare them for their future full-scope practices.

Experimental evidence that exerting effort increases meaning.

Efficiency demands that we work smarter and not harder, but is this better for our wellbeing? Here, we ask if exerting effort on a task can increase feelings of meaning and purpose. In six studies (N=2883), we manipulated how much effort participants exerted on a task and then assessed how meaningful they found those tasks. In Studies 1 and 2, we presented hypothetical scenarios whereby participants imagined themselves (or others) exerting more or less effort on a writing task, and then asked participants how much meaning they believed they (or others) would derive. In Study 3, we randomly assigned participants to complete inherently meaningless tasks that were harder or easier to complete, and again asked them how meaningful they found the tasks. Study 4 varied the difficulty of a writing assignment by involving or excluding ChatGPT assistance and evaluated its meaningfulness. Study 5 investigated cognitive dissonance as a potential explanatory mechanism. In Study 6, we tested the shape of the effort-meaning relationship. In all studies, the more effort participants exerted (or imagined exerting), the more meaning they derived (or imagined deriving), though the results of Study 6 show this is only up to a point. These studies suggest a causal link, whereby effort begets feelings of meaning. They also suggest that part of the reason this link exists is that effort begets feeling of competence and mastery, although the evidence is preliminary and inconsistent. We found no evidence the effects were caused by post-hoc effort justification (i.e., cognitive dissonance). Effort, beyond being a mere cost, is a source of personal meaning and value, fundamentally influencing how individuals and observers perceive and derive satisfaction from tasks.

ChatGPT in class: motivation, schadenfreude and student usage intentions

Purpose Integrating social comparison and social identity theories, this study aims to examine students’ emotional and behavioral responses to the use of ChatGPT in academic settings, focusing on intrinsic motivation, dissonance, envy, schadenfreude and artificial intelligence (AI) usage intentions. Design/methodology/approach The research design consisted of two sequential survey-based studies with undergraduate business students. Study 1, analyzed with SmartPLS, measured students’ intrinsic motivation, cognitive engagement, dispositional envy, emotional dissonance and schadenfreude experienced in response to academic dishonesty related to ChatGPT. Study 2 explored the motivations behind students’ future use of AI tools, examining ethical considerations and emotional responses. Findings Study 1 determined that higher levels of cognitive engagement reduce dissonance and envy among highly motivated students. Nevertheless, driven by cognitive engagement, dissonance and envy, it was established that highly motivated students experience schadenfreude when others are caught misusing ChatGPT. In contrast, low-motivated students only feel schadenfreude as a product of dissonance and envy. The focus of Study 2 was on the adoption of ChatGPT. Results indicate that future usage is driven by ethical considerations for highly motivated students, whereas less dissonance is key for low-motivated students. Originality/value The study’s originality lies in its exploration of schadenfreude in the context of AI use among students, highlighting how cognitive engagement and motivation influence emotional responses. Drawing on social comparison and social identity theories, it sheds new light on the dynamics of academic integrity and the emotional landscape surrounding AI tools like ChatGPT, thus filling a research gap in understanding student behavior and perceptions in higher education.

Dialogicality and Conspiracy Theory: The Coexistence of Conspiracist and Non‐Conspiracist Beliefs

ABSTRACTThis study investigates how people who believe in conspiracy theory (CT) hold those beliefs. It considers whether believing a conspiracist explanation of an issue or event permits or precludes also believing a non‐conspiracist explanation—that is, the degree to which endorsing CTs can be dialogical. Dialogicality involves the coexistence of conspiracist and non‐conspiracist beliefs in advancing claims and contrasts with the view that all conspiracist belief endorsement is monological or ‘closed’ from other explanations. Thematic analysis of 39 semi‐structured interviews revealed five modalities of belief coexistence: cognitive dissonance between beliefs, analogical beliefs, target‐dependent beliefs, synthetic beliefs, and integrative beliefs. This spanned beliefs about the self, ingroup, outgroup, reality, action and the future, on topics concerning science, religion, and politics and society. These findings challenge the view that all CTs are monological belief systems: CT believers recruit both conspiracist and non‐conspiracist explanations in building their worldview. Several hypotheses for further research emerge from this challenge to the basic assumption of much research on CTs.

Understanding determinants of information avoidance when using mobile social apps: A perspective of social comparison

The current research investigates the determinants of information avoidance in the use of mobile social applications (apps) from a social comparison perspective. It specifically examines how cognitive dissonance, emotional exhaustion, and gender differences shape the comparison process, ultimately leading to information avoidance. An online survey with 458 app users was conducted to collect data. Structural equation modeling with partial least squares (PLS-SEM) was employed to empirically test our proposed model. The findings indicate that social comparison serves as a significant source of cognitive dissonance and emotional exhaustion, which in turn lead to information avoidance within mobile social apps. Furthermore, gender differences positively moderate the relationship between social comparison and emotional exhaustion, with the effect being stronger for women than for men. This study enhances the understanding of information avoidance through the lens of social comparison by examining both cognitive and emotional dimensions. Additionally, it analyzes gender differences in social comparison, providing a more comprehensive view of how men and women engage with and are affected by comparison processes.

Vegan Fashion Paradox: Understanding Cognitive Dissonance in Consumer Choices

This study explores the complexities of cognitive dissonance in the fashion industry, specifically examining consumer choices between animal-based leather and vegan leather. By exploring consumers’ diverse attitudes toward these materials, the research aims to understand the cognitive imbalances individuals experience when weighing ecological concerns against their material preferences. Utilizing netnography—a methodology that examines online community opinions—the study investigates how users perceive and resolve cognitive dissonance arising from conflicting choices between animal-based and vegan leather. Through comprehensive analysis and categorization, this research highlights the intricate decision-making processes of consumers in the realm of leather-based fashion items. It provides insights into the interplay of ethical, environmental, and practical considerations guiding their choices.

Young Hearts: A Film Review

ABSTRACT Young Hearts, a gay movie from Belgium directed by Anthony Schatteman, was released in December 2024. It offers a tender and nuanced portrayal of queer love, identity, and self-discovery. The film follows Elias and Alexander, two 14-year-olds navigating the complexities of a budding relationship amidst societal expectations in a conservative town. This coming-of-age story delves deeply into the internal struggles of queer adolescents, balancing moments of vulnerability and joy with the harsh realities of rejection. The characters’ authentic performances, supported by sensitive direction and evocative cinematography, highlight the importance of family, schools, and communities in fostering a supportive environment for gay adolescents. Likewise, the narrative emphasizes how open family communication and parental acceptance can significantly enhance an adolescent’s self-confidence and emotional well-being. The film also underscores the critical role of inclusive communities and LGBTQ+ representation, demonstrating how visibility can inspire young individuals to embrace their authentic selves. Grounded in research on queer adolescent development and mental health, Young Hearts becomes a poignant reflection on the collective efforts needed to create safe, affirming spaces. By portraying queer love not only as a challenge but as a source of empowerment, the film offers a hopeful and resonant exploration of identity and belonging.

Right Brain: Cognitive Dissonance: The Space Between Simulation and Reality.

Cognitive Dissonance-The Space Between Simulation and Reality is a fictionalized narrative describing a resident's first time caring for a patient diagnosed with brain death. On paper, the diagnosis seemed straightforward and made logical sense. Unfortunately, the reality of brain death is more complicated, especially in the days after diagnosis. Residency is a time to gain subspecialty knowledge, a task easily accomplished in a classroom. However, the real purpose of residency is the application of learning, and that is the source of this resident's cognitive dissonance-reality does not always neatly align with isolated or idealized beliefs.

The Tyranny of the Abstract

ABSTRACTSubmitting an invited text for the Anthropology and Humanism festschrift “Hundreds for Katie,” I experienced cognitive dissonance between the objectives of ethnographic writing championed by Kathleen Stewart and the journal's submission requirements. The insistence that every submission must contain keywords and an abstract signifies deeper issues with academic writing. Specific forms of writing enforce the disciplinary norms of Thomas Kuhn's “normal science.” To “write difference”, we may need to write differently. The paper draws inter alia on works by Kathleen Stewart, Lauren Berlant, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Peter Winch, Walter Benjamin, James Clifford, Georges Bataille, and members of the Mass–Observation group.

Children and divorce: A rapid review targeting cognitive dissonance, in the context of narrative therapy.

Today, for divorcing parents, the social norms of "good" parenting appear to impose obligations to "fight" for shared custody of their children. However, this may intensify conflicts experienced by their children in the form of cognitive dissonance. Authors conducted a rapid review to explore children's experiences of divorce (ages three to 12years old) in the context of narrative therapy, in order to uncover the mechanism of cognitive dissonance. Four databases of Scopus, PsychINFO, Family and Societies Studies Worldwide, and PubMed were searched for literature in the last 10years. Results included 11 study articles, one policy brief, and one book chapter, representing the experiences of 1169 children from seven developed countries/regions. Our findings suggest four themes associated with cognitive dissonance, whereby the first three represent the formation of harmful perceptions of cognitive dissonance resulting from divorce. The fourth represents the children's coping strategies to reduce their cognitive dissonance. We advocate that family mediators consider narrative therapy targeting cognitive dissonance as a means of repairing disruptions to family coherence. In this regard, we recommend that future research explore the consequences of children's confrontation of their cognitive dissonance in narratives found to be prevalent in children's experiences of divorce.

Exploring semantic expression disparities in intragenerational and intergenerational communication: A novel perspective on socioemotional selectivity theory.

The Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST) posits that older and younger adults have different life goals due to differences in perceived remaining lifetime. Younger adults focus more on future-oriented knowledge exploration and forming new friendships, while older adults prioritize present-focused emotional regulation and maintaining close relationships. While previous research has found these age differences manifest in autobiographical textual expressions, their presence in verbal communication remains unexplored. We recruited 36 older adults and 36 younger adults to form 12 younger adults-younger adults dyads, 12 older adults-older adults dyads, and 12 younger adults-older adults dyads engaging in three conversational scenarios. Analysis of communication transcripts using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count revealed that in intragenerational communication, older adults used more present-focused and family-related words, and fewer future-focused, negative emotion, and knowledge acquisition words compared to younger adults, aligning with SST predictions. However, in intergenerational communication, younger and older adults showed similar patterns in future-focused, cognitive, and family-related language use. This suggests that participants adjusted their goal orientations to accommodate each other, mitigating the age differences proposed by SST and partially supporting the Interpersonal Cognitive Consistency Model. These findings indicate that while SST explains semantic expressions in intragenerational communication, group dynamics toward verbal consistency play a more vital role in intergenerational communication. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Brainsourcing for temporal visual attention estimation

AbstractThe concept of temporal visual attention in dynamic contents, such as videos, has been much less studied than its spatial counterpart, i.e., visual salience. Yet, temporal visual attention is useful for many downstream tasks, such as video compression and summarisation, or monitoring users’ engagement with visual information. Previous work has considered quantifying a temporal salience score from spatio-temporal user agreements from gaze data. Instead of gaze-based or content-based approaches, we explore to what extent only brain signals can reveal temporal visual attention. We propose methods for (1) computing a temporal visual salience score from salience maps of video frames; (2) quantifying the temporal brain salience score as a cognitive consistency score from the brain signals from multiple observers; and (3) assessing the correlation between both temporal salience scores, and computing its relevance. Two public EEG datasets (DEAP and MAHNOB) are used for experimental validation. Relevant correlations between temporal visual attention and EEG-based inter-subject consistency were found, as compared with a random baseline. In particular, effect sizes, measured with Cohen’s d, ranged from very small to large in one dataset, and from medium to very large in another dataset. Brain consistency among subjects watching videos unveils temporal visual attention cues. This has relevant practical implications for analysing attention for visual design in human-computer interaction, in the medical domain, and in brain-computer interfaces at large.

Do Fans Have to Choose Between Formula One and Sustainability? A Case Study of Spectators Balancing Environmental Beliefs and Fandom

The environmental impact of sports has become a growing concern, with many organizations facing scrutiny over their sustainability practices and accusations of greenwashing. Formula 1 (F1), a global motorsport, is no exception. This exploratory case study examined F1 fans’ perceptions of the sport’s environmental impact and its initiatives to mitigate it. It particularly analyzes how F1 spectators navigate potentially conflicting social identities and any subsequent cognitive dissonance between their fandom and environmental beliefs. Using semistructured interviews with ten F1 fans who attended the 2022 U.S. F1Grand Prix, we explored their perspectives on the sport’s sustainability efforts and how cognitive dissonance influenced their attitudes, focusing on how they reconciled the tension between their environmental values and dedication to F1 fandom. Our interviews show that while F1 spectators prioritize their fandom over environmental concerns, issue salience is a crucial element in their cognitive dissonance. These results can guide sports toward more serious proactive efforts in getting involved in sustainability initiatives and communicating them well, thus moving away from potential greenwashing. By placing these findings in a broader sport context, this study also adds to the literature on the intersection between sport fandom, behavior, and environmental communication.