Leon Festinger. In his Psychologists on Psychology. A theoretical interpretation of shifts in level of aspiration. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Fester came up the idea of cognitive dissonance when studying cult members who believed a flood was going to destroy the world. This was demonstrated in Festingers study as residents tended to befriend people who lived in the same building and on the same floor as they did. Subsequently, Festingers research interests became focused on different issues. MASLOW, ABRAHAM San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons. In D. Chadee (Ed. Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Festinger was born in Brooklyn New York on May 8, 1919 to Russian-Jewish immigrants Alex Festinger and Sara Solomon Festinger. His father, an embroidery manufacturer, had "left Russia a radical and atheist and remained faithful to these views throughout his life." Festinger was interested in Lewins efforts to establish psychology as a field with dynamic processes involving perception, motivation, and cognition. However, when Festinger arrived at the university, Lewins interests had shifted to group dynamics or social psychology. In 1968, he left Stanford for The New School in New York City, where he conducted research on the visual system and perception. Sanderson, C. A. In some experiments, accomplices posed as subjects and played scripted roles as group members with deviating or consensual opinions. Festinger does not adequately explain how people decide on a strategy for reducing cognitive dissonance. Festinger had the opportunity to explore the concept of dissonance further when he and two colleagues infiltrated a small doomsday cult known as The Seekers. Biographical Memoirs, 64, 98-110. Social comparison theory posited that people evaluate their abilities and opinions by comparing them with those of others when it is not feasible to test them directly. Third, we'll try and resolve this dissonance. 1 (1964): 122. Festinger, L., Cartwright, D., Barber, K., Fleischl, J., Gottsdanker, J., Keysen, A., & Leavitt, G. (1948). But the influence of the theory of cognitive dissonance and the original study of the millennialist group has been far more extensive than numbers alone can convey. Hochberg, J., & Festinger, L. (1979). In his informal communication theory, he proposed that people are susceptible to social pressures when they are attracted to a group. (1951). The analysis of sociograms using matrix algebra. . The psychological effects of insufficient rewards. Ideas on balance and imbalance, or consonance and dissonance, marked the age and its preoccupations with homeostatic processes. However, when Bob is at a friend's house during the Superbowl, everyone is drinking beers. Personality psych, Hovland, Carl I. ." From an early age, Leon Festinger showed a deep love for science. Now that we know a little bit about cognitive dissonance, let's talk an important experiment that led to the development of this theory. Of Prophecy and Privacy. Contemporary Psychology: A Journal of Reviews 2, no. Critics have also debated whether social comparison is primarily about self-evaluation, as Festinger suggests, or is more a matter of self-validation. WebIn the 1950s, Leon Festinger was scratching his head over a group of people who called themselves The Seekers. Throughout Festingers research there runs the common thread of calculated tension between alternatives or contrary forces, which impel a change in thinking, feeling, or behavior (Zukier, 1989, p. xvii). Some of Festingers papers are archived in the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Leon Festinger. Show him facts or figures and he questions your sources. Leon Festinger was a renowned American psychologist, researcher, and author. . Later Research Interests . Festinger hypothesized that cognitive dissonance is an aversive state and that an individual would be motivated to reduce dissonance. The technique described here is called hypocrisy induction. Leon Festinger. Biographical Memoirs 64 (1994): 99110. Leon Festinger, (born May 8, 1919, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.died February 11, 1989, New York City), American cognitive psychologist, best known for his theory of cognitive dissonance, according to which inconsistency between thoughts, or between thoughts and actions, leads to discomfort (dissonance), For abilities, observing those with similar abilities allows people to learn what actions they are capable of. Festinger closed his lab in 1979. Leon Festinger, 69, new school professor. Festinger was recognized in 1959 with the American Psychological Associations Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award for his theory and research on social behavior as arising from a thinking organism continually acting to bring order into his world (Boring, Cronbach, Crutchfield, et al., 1959, p. 784). Observers coded group discussion behaviours. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He realized that the most devoted members of the cult refused to believe they were wrong, even when shown new information (evidence). I. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Maslow, Abraham New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. Festinger, L., Gerard, H., Hymovitch, B., Kelley, H. H., & Raven, B. With Henry W. Riecken and Stanley Schachter. Festingers work on dissonance theory was the target of a number of critiques in the early 1960s. 27 Apr. Festinger sought to create situations that were real and important to the subject, arguing that only then might scientific psychologists be studying what subjects are experiencing, what some call hot cognitions set off by motivational and/or emotional forces, rather than cool cognitions, regarded as the product of rational thought. 2023 . Updates? Obituary: Leon Festinger. European Journal of Social Psychology, 19, no. Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/festinger-leon. Very few small discoveries turn out to be important over the years; things that would have sent me jumping and shouting in my youth now left me calm and judgmental. And even worse we do not seem to have been working on many of the important problems (Festinger, 1983, p. ix). WebBiography Leon Festinger was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 8, 1919. For example, in one study, college students who often engage in risky sexual behaviors were asked to prepare and give a speech on the importance of safe sex. social psychology, cognitive dissonance, groups, communication, influence, social comparison and level of aspiration. Festinger believed that people want balance in their lives and that cognitive dissonance was a way to bring back a lost sense of balance. Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Festinger claims his youthful penchant for rigor led him to pursue further research on aspiration for his masters thesis and to develop a mathematical model of decision making for his dissertation. It is important to keep in mind that none of this was true. Festinger, L. (1950). Magazine editors often capitalize on peoples drive for social comparison in order to attract and engage readers. 27 Apr. He described this work as a beautiful series of studies in which he [Hull] took what is still an obscure phenomenon and examined it (Cohen, 1977, p. 132). Cognitive dissonance comes into play when people try to reconcile the conflicting behaviors or ideas. WebLeon Festinger, (born May 8, 1919, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.died February 11, 1989, New York City), American cognitive psychologist, best known for his theory of cognitive dissonance, according to which inconsistency between thoughts, or between Festingers initial interest in social psychology was sparked by accident. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1968. Impact of oculomotor retraining on visual-perception of curvature. Changing their beliefs, behavior, or the perceptions of beliefs to become more consistent with their actions is the way people deal with cognitive dissonance, which is called dissonance reduction. To test the theory, Festinger and his students conducted a series of laboratory experiments. Festinger wrote several books on his landmark research. WebSince this cant be done with facts, its done with people. 'border="1" width="20" height="20"><\/a>')
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