Justification+of+Effort

__Justification of Effort__

• In others words, the tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain
 * Definition:** Justification of effort is a form of cognitive dissonance in which the subjective value of an outcome is directly related to the effort that went into obtaining it.

• Justification of effort is a form of cognitive dissonance in which reinforcers are more valued when they are harder to obtain. • Presumably, giving the reinforcer greater value justifies the greater effort needed to obtain it. • According to cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957), one should work to reduce the dissonance and if it is too late to avoid the behavior, one would modify one's beliefs to account for or justify one's behavior. • Aronson and Mills (1959) had students undergo a "severe" or a "mild" initiation to join in a discussion group.
 * Summary of Research:**
 * Subjects in the severe initiation group were required to read a sexually explicit passage out loud in front of the experimenter, whereas those in the mild initiation group read a less embarrassing passage.
 * When subjects were asked to evaluate the discussion group, those in the severe initiation condition rated it higher than those in the mild initiation group.
 * Aronson and Mills interpreted their result in terms of cognitive dissonance.
 * According to Aronson and Mills, to resolve the dissonance produced by reading the embarrassing passage, subjects in the severe initiation group gave more value to the discussion group than did subjects in the mild initiation group.
 * In more general terms, the more difficult the task, the greater value is given to the reinforcers that follow task completion.
 * For example, a student who received an A grade in organic chemistry will value that grade more than a similar A grade in physical education.
 * Similarly, although the discussion group offered to the subjects was the same for both groups, it is generally true that groups that are difficult to join are of higher value, so the assumption made by the subjects in the Aronson and Mills (1959) experiment may have been a reasonable 'rule of thumb.'

• In cases where people have freely chosen to act in ways that cause them suffering (e.g., staying with an abusive spouse), they change their attitudes to justify that suffering. ◦ This is because realizing that they have personally chosen this action causes uncomfortable tension (dissonance), which can be resolved by valuing that goal/action even more.
 * For Example:**

• hazing (fraternities and sororities) • Rites of passage • Initiations //Can you think of any other examples of Justification of Effort?//
 * Other Examples Include:**

//Try Watching the following clips and think about how they relate to Justification of Effort.// NHS Connection:

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In the TV Show Greek they display the pledges put up with abuse in order to join the fraternity: (start at 2:40)

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//Would you go through hazing/initiation in order to join a club, fraternity, sorority, etc.?//

How the clips relate to Justification of Effort:

Bibliography: [|http://www.mendeley.com/research/contrast-justification-effort/] [|__http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/hss_aronson_social_psychology_6/CW/index.html__] [|__http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=mlin_m_needhamhs&tabID=T002&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE__] |A214102525&&docId=GALE|A214102525&docType=GALE&role=AONE [|__http://psypress.co.uk/smithandmackie/resources/topic.asp?topic=ch08-tp-01#Cognitive%20Dissonance:%20Changing%20Attitudes%20to%20Justify%20Behavior__]

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