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Do amnesics exhibit cognitive dissonance reduction? The role of explicit memory and attention in attitude change
M D Lieberman1, K N Ochsner, D T Gilbert
1Department of Psychology, Franz Hall, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA. lieber@ucla.edu
Abstract:
In two studies, we investigated the roles of explicit memory and attentional resources in the process of behavior-induced attitude change. Although most theories of attitude change (cognitive dissonance and self-perception theories) assume an important role for both mechanisms, we propose that behavior-induced attitude change can be a relatively automatic process that does not require explicit memory for, or consciously controlled processing of, the discrepancy between attitude and behavior. Using a free-choice paradigm, we found that both amnesics and normal participants under cognitive load showed as much attitude change as did control participants.