Source one

Cooper, J., & Feldman, L. A. (2020). Helping the “couch potato”: A cognitive dissonance

approach to increasing exercise in the elderly. Journal of Applied Social Psychology,

50(1), 33–40. https://doi-org.proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/10.1111/jasp.12639

In this peer reviewed journal, Joel Cooper and Lauren Fieldman investigated the

cognitive dissonance approach in attempting to increase exercise activity in adults. Cooper and

Fieldman found that people over 65 had more success in working out when in a larger group

setting. They proposed that eldery people are more motivated to be active when they think of the

potential benefits that exercise has and disregard the fact that they may not have been as active in

the past. What they found was that the psychology behind the participants varied and affected the

outcome of their reasoning for either exercising or choosing not to. I am realizing that this theory

focuses greatly on mental aspects and overall motivation.

Source two

Swain, M. S., Gliedt, J. A., de Luca, K., Newell, D., & Holmes, M. (2021). Chiropractic

students’ cognitive dissonance to statements about professional identity, role, setting and

future: international perspectives from a secondary analysis of pooled data. Chiropractic

& Manual Therapies, 29(1), 1–10.

https://doi-org.proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/10.1186/s12998-021-00365-6

When it comes to science, cognitive dissonance plays a huge role in the way that students

and those involved in the profession look at the world and how things work. Religion is a

contributing factor that sparks controversy in the lab and classrooms. In this study, researchers

examined the ideology of several chiropractic students. After conducting a study and presenting
it to students over the course of five years, they found that cognitive dissonance was higher in

students when their beliefs and ideologies were challenged in their practice. Looking at a

research project that has to do more with ideologies and modern day science shows that

cognitive dissonance exists in basically every aspect of life and our choices.

Source three

Cooper, J., Feldman, L. A., & Blackman, S. F. (2019). Influencing Republicans’ and Democrats’

attitudes toward Obamacare: Effects of imagined vicarious cognitive dissonance on

political attitudes. Journal of Social Psychology, 159(1), 112–117.

https://doi-org.proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/10.1080/00224545.2018.1465023

This journal showed me that politics brings out the dissonance in everyone who involves

themselves in the topic. In this study, Cooper, Feldman and Blackman gathered around 100 total

participants with around 50% being republican and 50% democrat. They then asked them to

imagine themselves, along with a friend with a similar political background, in a debate. There

was a devil's advocate and participants were asked to respond how they saw fit. Based on these

outcomes, the researchers also measured attitudes and how they felt toward the opposing

political party. It is interesting to see cognitive dissonance in politics because it goes to show you

that this theory is present in many situations.

Source four

Glatz Terese, Stattin Håkan, & Kerr Margaret. (2012). A Test of Cognitive Dissonance Theory to

Explain Parents’ Reactions to Youths’ Alcohol Intoxication. Family Relations, 61(4),

629–641. https://doi-org.proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00723.x
 In this journal, we can see that parents react and handle dissonance differently depending

on how much they know about their child's substance abuse. The researchers found after asking

over 400 parents how they react to knowing that their child drank alcohol varied based on their

level of strictness toward their child. Adults who were strongly against drinking were more

worried about their kids compared to those who were not as against it. It all had to do with

dissonance and their internal feelings towards underage drinking. The researchers stated that

dissonance would decrease if they became less opposed to drinking. Parents experience cognitive

dissonance on a daily basis. Especially while their kids become young adults and begin to form

their own opinions.

Source five

Dickerson, C. A., Thibodeau, R., Aronson, E., & Miller, D. (2006, July 31). Using

Cognitive Dissonance to Encourage Water Conservation1. Wiley Online Library.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1992.tb00928.x.

By bringing the idea of water conservation to those involved in the experiment,

researchers were able to see that dissonance was indeed present. People who expressed to the

public or made a commitment to themselves that they would take shorter showers to save water

mostly followed through. They were reminded of their promise when it was time for a shower or

an opportunity to conserve water. These people fell under a “hypocrisy” category, and toward the

conclusion of the experiment, the researchers found that these were the people who stuck to their

promise the most in comparison to the control group. Dissonance affects us mentally by bringing
forth a feeling of guilt and sometimes discomfort. In our efforts to get rid of said guilt, we are

more likely to follow through with our goals.