Read the passage excerpt:
'Cognitive dissonance, first conceptualized by Leon Festinger, describes the distressing mental tension experienced when an individual holds contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or values, or performs actions that conflict with their self-concept. To alleviate this psychological discomfort, individuals frequently engage in rationalization, dismissing disconfirming empirical evidence or retroactively modifying their private attitudes to align with their overt behavior.'
What triggers the psychological distress known as cognitive dissonance?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Holding mutually incompatible cognitions or acting in conflict with one's self-concept
- Step 1: The passage defines cognitive dissonance as 'the distressing mental tension experienced when an individual holds contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or values, or performs actions that conflict with their self-concept.'
- Step 2: Incompatible ideas or actions generate the cognitive distress.
Answer
Holding mutually incompatible cognitions or acting in conflict with one's self-concept.
Why not the others: 'Suffering traumatic bilateral damage...' refers to physical brain injury; 'Encountering loud acoustic vibrations...' describes sensory auditory overload; 'Memorizing extensive statistical equations...' describes cognitive fatigue.
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