The document discusses cognitive dissonance theory and how it relates to students' interests in architecture. It defines cognitive dissonance as a psychological conflict between beliefs and behaviors. The paper analyzes literature on cognitive dissonance and justification of effort. It then describes a proposed study methodology to examine high and low cognitive dissonance conditions in students considering architecture. The study would analyze how interests produce dissonance levels and what influences dissonance, using theories of effort justification and attribution.

1. 1High and Low Cognitive Dissonances
High and Low Cognitive Dissonances:
Interests and Careers of Architecture
Ng J.
Taylor’s University

2. 2High and Low Cognitive Dissonances
Abstract
This paper focus on the examination and research on high and low cognitive dissonances in
terms of the student’s interest on architecture. The review of literature in this paper leads to
the research questions: How the student’s interests on architecture produce a high or low
cognitive dissonance on the student? The methods chosen to answer the research question
would be based on the concepts learnt in the class and the information relevance,
individualistic and collectivistic attribution. Numerous theories have been projected to
elucidate the behavioural and attitudinal changes and recipient’s scope of interests. Although
the literature covers a wide diversity of such theories, this review will emphasizes on five
major themes which arise frequently throughout the literature reviewed. These themes are:
the justification of student’s art talents, the comparison of enthusiasm levels between
dissimilar adaptation, the justification of futuristic contributions and deficits, the fear of
misapprehensions, and the values of investments. Although the literature addresses these
themes in a variety of frameworks, this paper will primarily concentrates on their application
to the high and low cognitive dissonances.

3. 3High and Low Cognitive Dissonances
Cognitive dissonances is the involvement between imaginary and factual conflicts
which the type of assessment in turn produced result on decision-making. Different
justification has been made by student in order to maximize the output of decision-making.
Countless literature contexts has ascertained the level of differences in preference collections
leads to the high or low cognitive dissonances, yet the contexts of student’s cognitive
dissonances must be scrutinized.
Literature Review
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Festinger (1957) distinct cognitive dissonance into three settings: (1) dissonance occurs when
a person’s attitudes contradict other attitudes or behaviours, (2) dissonance is an aversive
state, therefore, a person feels pressure to reduce the dissonance and prevent future increases
of dissonance, (3) a person tries to reduce this aversive state through behaviour changes,
changes of cognition and avoidance of introduction to new information or opinions that could
produce dissonance. Festinger contextually defined cognitive dissonance as “knowledge” of
reality that person has about himself, his behaviour, and his surroundings (Festinger, 1957).
Justification of Effort
According to Danny Axsom, effort justification is “when people make sacrifices to pursue a
goal, the effort is often rationalized by elevating the attractiveness of the goal.” Axsom and
Cooper (1985) ascertained that “if indeed an objective or the avenue via which a goal is
obtained is not initially attractive, an individual may later look to their own past behaviour to
determine their attitude towards the goal.” Individual who contributed much effort in the
accomplishment of a goal would seem that involvement as worthwhile and more attractive in
terms of attainment; these rationalization reduces the cognitive dissonance (Maich, 2014).
Danny Axsom discovered that the potential of inconsistencies amid the vital cognitions

4. 4High and Low Cognitive Dissonances
unveils motivations, matching one’s attitudes comprehensible to one’s behaviour. He
concludes that the involvement includes sacrifices of physical and mental energy,
expenditures, endurance in embarrassment.
Level of Cognitive Dissonance
Brehm (1956) highlighted consequences of making a choice in post-decision dissonance. The
level of dissonance is manipulated into (1) low-dissonance group which offered an easier
choice between a desirable and undesirable item, where participant’s post-decision ratings
were about the same as their pre-decision ratings, and (2) high-dissonance condition which
being offered a difficult choice between two items they found equally attractive, where
ratings increased for the chosen item, decreased for the item that was not chosen. According
Joel Cooper and Russell Fazio (1984) stated other factors that contributed to the levelling of
dissonance are negative consequences, personal responsibility, freedom of choice,
foreseeability, arousal and attribution. Fazio and others (1977) concludes that highly
discrepant behaviour produces attitude change through dissonance, whereas slightly
discrepant behaviour produces change through self-perception.
East Asian Cultural Influences on Cognitive Dissonance
Saul Kassin, Steven Fein and Hazel Rose Markus (2011) stressed that, “cultural context
influence the arousal and reduction of cognitive dissonance.” According to Saul and others
(2011), East Asian cultural individuals probable to create subjective decisions which, “(1)
benefits their ingroup members, and (2) take the well-being of others into account in making
those decisions.”
Utilizing these literature to form theoretical assumptions, the student accrued confusions
and conflicts in terms of her self-interests and future rewards. These aroused complications
are to be observed through her progress of effort justification between the preference

5. 5High and Low Cognitive Dissonances
collections. With that stated, the method that follows will attempt to answer the following
research questions:
(1) How the student’s interests on architecture produce a high or low cognitive
dissonance on the student?
(2) Why the student’s interests on architecture produce a high or low cognitive
dissonance on the student?
Methodology
In attempt to answer the research questions, a combination of experimental
assumptions and personal experiences would be used. The nature of this study would require
the application of justification of effort and reduction of cognitive dissonances to
dimensionally analyse the social perspectives and personal decision-making that resulted in a
high or low cognitive dissonance. This study would be attempting to discover which aspects
has the greatest positive influence for the student’s acceptances. This study would be focused
on determining causality in terms of personal perception and attribution. Social perception is
highly subjective and expressed differently in each selective consequences.
High-Dissonance Condition
Following to the fundamental interests on art, student are prone to select between fine
art and building construction art, architecture. Student adopted her future prospect through
direct rationalization, and the justification is as such: student embraced art with the
willingness and sought to dominate the york of cultural and economical living. Thoughtful
decision-making, confirmation and supportive attribution has been made from: external
factors, such as opposition of family, and internal factors, such as the faith in belief which
will positively impacted my vision of future career.

6. 6High and Low Cognitive Dissonances
As to enrol into foundation and degree of architecture, student has optimism about
success, availability, capability, professionalism, passion, determination and opportunity.
This decision is support by religious and collectivistic cultures respectively: (1) student
sought to connect to interactive media of faiths, beliefs and holistic cultures, and (2) increase
attainment in contributive, productive, continuous, meaningful, functional and influential
outcomes.
Architecture learning provides a platform for religious realization through religious
building studies, and economical solutions and managements for the welfare of society.
Student confidently support her own preference which be seem magnificent even before
graduation, beginning of career and understanding success, partially because there is no
compensation of time, effort and money, which in turn reduced post-decision dissonance.
Low-Dissonance Condition
Resulting from the enrolment of architecture foundation and degree, student are prone
to select their career specialty and environment: historical architectural firm, and
contemporary architectural firm. Student’s dreamed career is to being employed by a
historical architectural firm. Thus far, student’s learning experiences encompassed: (1)
traditional architectural art, which influences by religious and East Asian collectivistic
cultures, and historical art cultures, and (2) modern architectural art, which influenced by
mass media art, manufactural art, fashion art and liberal art.
Once submitted to the thriving world, student is engulfed in two delusion: (1) loss of
passion, determination and continuity, and (2) failure in succeeding career and various kinds
of leadership. In order to overcome these superstitions, student sought to gain a sustaining,
attractive, suitable and available source of income, which could be conceived by the life of

7. 7High and Low Cognitive Dissonances
passion and being not vulnerable to fear of regrets, disregards or discovery of the misleading
and unattractive content that failed to shape future vision.

8. 8High and Low Cognitive Dissonances
References
Baumeister, R. F. & Vohs K. D. (2007). Effort Justification. Encyclopedia of Social
Psychology.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory (2010). Psychwiki Website.
Maich, K. H. G. (2014). Reducing Cognitive Dissonance through Effort Justification:
Evidence from Past Studies and Daily Experience. Western Undergraduate Psychology
Journal, 11(1), 2.
Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2011). Social Psychology. Belmont: Wadsworth.