COGNITIVE DISSONANCE REDUCTION IN RELATION TO INTELLIGENCE

Cognitive dissonance (CD) is the discomfort that occurs when two opposing beliefs are held simultaneously. When this conflict arises, one of the opposing beliefs must be altered or dropped in order to reduce the discomfort. The current study examined the relationship between cognitive dissonance and intelligence (using vocabulary subtest scores of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised IV; WAIS-R IV) and grade point average (GPA) in 103 college undergraduates. The ratings occurred before and after the exam. In order to induce the cognitive dissonance participants were given low fictitious scores and shown a comparatively greater average. Cognitive dissonance was measured by taking the difference of the participants’ fairness ratings of the vocabulary subtest. No relationship existed between WAIS-R IV performance and CD scores (r = .01, ns). However, GPA and CD scores were negatively associated (r = -.29, p < .01).