Intro
In this episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, host Shankar Vedantam explores how we live with contradictions. He speaks with Elliot Aronson, a social psychologist, about his experiences growing up and how they shaped his interest in psychology. Aronson’s research on cognitive dissonance and the jigsaw classroom technique provides insights into how humans justify their actions and find common ground with others.
Main Takeaways
Childhood Reflections and Rationalization
- Elliot Aronson reflects on his past behavior of bullying weaker kids in school to fit in with the more popular crowd.
- Elliot’s childhood experiences of rationalizing his actions and self-justification had real victims.
- Elliot’s father was a gambler who lost his stores during the Great Depression, but he did not think he had a gambling problem.
- Elliot’s mother blamed his father for their financial struggles, but his father justified his actions by extending credit to poor customers.
Interest in Psychology and Cognitive Dissonance
- Elliot Aronson later discovered psychological mechanisms for the stories we tell ourselves.
- Elliot Aronson noticed how people justify their actions to themselves and became interested in social psychology.
- Elliot’s interest in psychology was sparked by a lecture on the psychology of prejudice by Abraham Maslow.
- Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory suggests that humans have a range of needs that must be met to achieve self-actualization.
- Psychology at the time was split between Freudians and Behaviorists, but Elliot believed that people are more complex than animals and incentives.
- Elliot Aronson believed that social psychology should be both rigorous and humane.
- Elliot Aronson signed up for Leon Festinger’s course despite his reputation for being mean and difficult.
- Festinger was a genius and had high expectations for his students.
- Aronson initially submitted a poorly argued term paper which Festinger criticized.
- Aronson reworked the paper and Festinger recognized his effort and treated him like a colleague.
- Festinger and Aronson worked together on the theory of cognitive dissonance, which explains how people resolve conflicting ideas or opinions.
- Cognitive dissonance can lead to self-justification and distortion of thinking to reduce negative drive states.
- Self-justification happens at an unconscious level and is a common human behavior.
Cognitive Dissonance and Reinforcement Theory
- The experiment conducted by Leon Festinger involved paying people to lie about a boring task.
- People who were paid $20 to lie about the task did not enjoy the task and felt no need to justify their lie.
- People who were paid only $1 to lie about the task actually enjoyed the task in retrospect.
- The results of the experiment were opposite of what reinforcement theory would predict, and can be explained by the cognitive dissonance theory.
- Cognitive dissonance theory explains why we try to convince ourselves that something unpleasant is actually valuable when we are underpaid for it.
- Reinforcement theory is incomplete and doesn’t always work in the real world.
- External rewards, such as good grades, can prevent people from finding intrinsic value in learning.
Jigsaw Classroom and Positive Outcomes
- Elliot Aronson experienced cognitive dissonance due to the conflicting views of his mentors, Abraham Maslow and Leon Festinger.
- Aronson’s own research is a combination of Festinger’s and Maslow’s ideas, producing interesting results.
- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that unmet basic needs overshadow higher needs.
- Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance is the psychological toll felt when conflicting ideas clash.
- Elliot bridged Festinger’s and Maslow’s ideas to study bullying and hazing.
- Elliot’s study showed that severe initiation led to participants rationalizing away negatives.
- Those who went through severe initiation liked the group better than those in mild or no initiation conditions.
- Severe initiation leads to stronger group affiliation than mild or no initiation.
- Cognitive dissonance theory explains the need to resolve inconsistent thoughts.
- Self-concept plays a role in justifying attitudes or behaviors conflicting with it.
- The jigsaw classroom technique encourages liking and cooperation among students.
- Doing a favor for someone can lead to liking that person more.
- The Jigsaw classroom is a collaborative learning technique where students are divided into diverse groups and are responsible for teaching each other the material.
- The teacher intervenes if a student is making fun of another student’s accent or hesitancy.
- Collaborating with someone you dislike can lead to cognitive dissonance, which can lead to revising negative views.
- The Jigsaw classroom produced academic, social, and emotional benefits for students.
- A teacher in the South Bronx used the Jigsaw technique to take her students to a museum and teach them about a painting by Arshile Gorky.
- Jigsaw technique used to teach students about painting by Arshile Gorky.
- Student Willie Johnson, who had been shy all year, noticed something unique in the painting.
- Johnson pointed out the idealized way Gorky painted his mother’s hands, making them look soft like cotton.
- The tough, aggressive kid in the class put his arm around Johnson, and the group came together in a spontaneous group hug.
- The Jigsaw technique allows kids to empathize with each other and see the best in each other, leading to positive outcomes.
Summary
Childhood Reflections and Rationalization
Elliot Aronson’s childhood experiences of rationalizing his actions and self-justification had real victims. Growing up with a gambler father who justified his actions and a mother who blamed his father for their financial struggles, Aronson reflects on his past behavior of bullying weaker kids in school to fit in with the more popular crowd. These early experiences shaped his interest in psychology and understanding the mechanisms behind the stories we tell ourselves.
Interest in Psychology and Cognitive Dissonance
Aronson’s interest in psychology was sparked by a lecture on the psychology of prejudice by Abraham Maslow. Believing that social psychology should be both rigorous and humane, he signed up for Leon Festinger’s course despite his reputation for being mean and difficult. Festinger recognized Aronson’s effort and treated him like a colleague, leading to their collaboration on the theory of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance explains how people resolve conflicting ideas or opinions and the unconscious self-justification that occurs as a common human behavior.
Cognitive Dissonance and Reinforcement Theory
Aronson’s research on cognitive dissonance challenged the predictions of reinforcement theory. In an experiment conducted by Festinger, participants were paid to lie about a boring task. Surprisingly, those who were paid only $1 to lie about the task enjoyed it in retrospect, while those paid $20 did not. Cognitive dissonance theory explains why people try to convince themselves that something unpleasant is valuable when they are underpaid for it. This highlights the limitations of reinforcement theory and the importance of intrinsic value in learning.
Jigsaw Classroom and Positive Outcomes
Aronson bridged Festinger’s and Maslow’s ideas to study bullying and hazing. His research showed that severe initiation led to participants rationalizing away negatives and developing stronger group affiliation. The jigsaw classroom technique, a collaborative learning approach, encourages liking and cooperation among students. By dividing students into diverse groups and making them responsible for teaching each other, the technique fosters empathy and positive interactions. Aronson’s study on the Jigsaw technique demonstrated academic, social, and emotional benefits for students, creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment.
Conclusion
Elliot Aronson’s journey from childhood reflections and rationalization to becoming a renowned social psychologist highlights the complexities of human behavior and the ways in which we justify our actions. His research on cognitive dissonance and the jigsaw classroom technique provides valuable insights into resolving conflicting ideas and fostering positive interactions. Understanding how we live with contradictions can help us navigate the complexities of our own lives and promote empathy and cooperation in society.
