Question

In a study about attitudes towards higher education, four subjects are asked to rank the relative importance of higher education. All four participants rank higher education as "very important" or "extremely important" on the survey. Which of the following participants is most likely to experience cognitive dissonance as a part of this response?(A) A master electrician who has significant advanced on-the-job training but no degree(B) A day laborer whose own education stopped at seventh grade and whose family includes no one who has attended any college(C) A high school math teacher who encouraged his own son to skip college and focus on learning a trade to "save all that wasted tuition money"(D) A university professor with two doctoral degrees who has actively advocated for significant reform in the country's higher education system

Answer 1

Answer:  the correct answer is (C) A high school math teacher who encouraged his own son to skip college and focus on learning a trade to "save all that wasted tuition money"

Explanation:

Cognitive Dissonance is the unpleasant feeling a person experiences when holding two contradictory beliefs at the same time. Here, a person who rates college as very important, but then tells his own child that college tuition is "wasted" would likely experience some cognitive dissonance.