According to cognitive dissonance theory, which change are individuals more likely to make to reduce internal inconsistency?

• A. Change attitudes to align with behavior.
• B. Change behavior to align with attitudes.
• C. Seek new information to increase dissonance.
• D. End relationships to reduce conflict.

Answer: (A)

When we experience cognitive dissonance, there’s a mismatch between what we believe and what we do, which creates discomfort. People try to reduce that discomfort by changing the thought that’s most flexible. It’s usually easier to adjust our attitudes to align with a behavior we’ve already carried out than to change the behavior itself, which can be costly or difficult. For instance, if someone cheats on a test but values honesty, they might shift their belief to downplay honesty or justify the cheating, thus altering their attitude to fit the action. Changing behavior to match an attitude can happen, but changing beliefs to justify or align with past actions is the more common, efficient route to restore internal consistency.