Bubba

Procedure: There were two students in the study. We sat down at two separate tables on them was an envelop containing a package to do a survey and to write an essay supporting tuition increase for a committee that would influence decisions regarding tuition cost that is counter-attitudinal for most university students. We were told at the beginning that a campus committee has been set up to discuss the possibility of a tuition increase and that students' input would be helpful. However, when we were done the experiment we were told that there was no such committee and the purpose for writing the essay was to create dissonance due to the counter-attitudinal behaviour.

Type of study: This was an experimental study.

Variables: Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. You either had to choose between two of the conditions. Write an essay about the positive aspects of tuition increase or the negative aspects of tuition increases. By writing a positive essay you might have displayed some sense of content feelings in the way you expressed yourself at the moment and if you wrote the negative essay you would show some depressing feelings.

Hypotheses: The experimenter thinks that a voluntarily chosen behaviour that is generally inconsistent with belief, namely a counter-attitudinal behaviour, would induce feelings of guilt but not fear. Also that this feeling of guilt would then motivate attitude change, which would in turn, reduce feelings of guilt.

Thoughts: When I was doing the study before the truth was told, I decided to write about the con's of tuition increase because I just couldn't think of any one good reason about a pro for the increase. Therefore when I started reading that there was a committee started and about to discuss this increase it made me furious how they could do that to us students. It showed that my feelings were ones