2. Cognitive Dissonance
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Reading (45 seconds)
Cognitive Dissonance
Individuals sometimes experience a contradiction between their actions and their beliefs－between what they are doing and what they believe they should be doing. These contradictions can cause a kind of mental discomfort known as cognitive dissonance. People experiencing cognitive dissonance often do not want to change the way they are acting, so they resolve the contradictory situation in another way, they change their interpretation of the situation in a way that minimizes the contradiction between what they are doing and what they believe should be doing.
Listening
Preparation time: 30 seconds
speaking time: 1 minute
Texts
This is a true story from my own life. In my first year in high school, I was addicted to video games. I played them all the time and I wasn’t studying enough. I was failing chemistry that was my hardest class. So this was a conflict for me because I wanted a good job when I grew up and I believed, I knew, that if you want a good career you’ve got to do well in school. But I just couldn’t give up video games. I was completely torn.
And my solution was to change my perspective. See, the only class I was doing really badly was chemistry. In the others, I was OK. So I asked myself if I wanted to be a chemist when I grew up and the fact is I didn’t. I was pretty sure I wanted to be a sociologist. So I told myself my chemistry class didn’t matter because sociologists don’t really need to know chemistry. In other words, I changed my understanding of what it meant to do well in school. I reinterpreted my situation.
I used to think that doing well in school meant doing well in all of my classes. But now I decided that succeeding in school meant only doing well in the classes that related directly to my future career. I eliminated the conflict at least in my mind.
Explanation
A summary of the reading passage
The tile of the reading passage: Cognitive Dissonance
The definition of cognitive dissonance: Individuals sometimes experience a contradiction between their actions and beliefs, leading to a type of mental discomfort known as cognitive dissonance.
A summary of the lecture
This is a true story from my own life.
In my first year of high school, I was addicted to video games and I was not studying enough. I was failing chemistry that was my hardest class.
This was a conflict for me because I wanted a good job when I grew up but I just couldn’t give up video games.
My solution was to change my perspective.
I asked myself if I wanted to be a chemist when I grew up and the fact is I didn’t. I was pretty sure I wanted to be a sociologist.
So I told myself my chemistry class didn’t matter.
I decided that succeeding in school meant only doing well in the classes that related directly to my future career.
I eliminated the conflict at least in my mind.
(Sample answer)
The reading passage discusses cognitive dissonance, which arises when individuals experience mental discomfort due to a contradiction between their actions and beliefs.
In the accompanying lecture, the professor illustrates this concept with a personal anecdote from his high school years. As a freshman, he found himself immersed in video games, leading to failing grades, particularly in chemistry. This behavior presented a contradiction, as he harbored aspirations for a successful future career but continued to prioritize gaming over academics.
In an effort to resolve this internal conflict, the professor underwent a shift in perspective. He reassessed his career goals and realized that his interests lay in sociology rather than chemistry. With this newfound clarity, he no longer viewed chemistry as essential to his future success, thereby alleviating the cognitive dissonance he experienced.
Cognitive Dissonance
Individuals sometimes experience a contradiction between their actions and their beliefs－between what they are doing and what they believe they should be doing. These contradictions can cause a kind of mental discomfort known as cognitive dissonance. People experiencing cognitive dissonance often do not want to change the way they are acting, so they resolve the contradictory situation in another way, they change their interpretation of the situation in a way that minimizes the contradiction between what they are doing and what they believe should be doing.
Listening
Preparation time: 30 seconds
speaking time: 1 minute
Texts
This is a true story from my own life. In my first year in high school, I was addicted to video games. I played them all the time and I wasn’t studying enough. I was failing chemistry that was my hardest class. So this was a conflict for me because I wanted a good job when I grew up and I believed, I knew, that if you want a good career you’ve got to do well in school. But I just couldn’t give up video games. I was completely torn.
And my solution was to change my perspective. See, the only class I was doing really badly was chemistry. In the others, I was OK. So I asked myself if I wanted to be a chemist when I grew up and the fact is I didn’t. I was pretty sure I wanted to be a sociologist. So I told myself my chemistry class didn’t matter because sociologists don’t really need to know chemistry. In other words, I changed my understanding of what it meant to do well in school. I reinterpreted my situation.
I used to think that doing well in school meant doing well in all of my classes. But now I decided that succeeding in school meant only doing well in the classes that related directly to my future career. I eliminated the conflict at least in my mind.
Explanation
A summary of the reading passage
The tile of the reading passage: Cognitive Dissonance
The definition of cognitive dissonance: Individuals sometimes experience a contradiction between their actions and beliefs, leading to a type of mental discomfort known as cognitive dissonance.
A summary of the lecture
This is a true story from my own life.
In my first year of high school, I was addicted to video games and I was not studying enough. I was failing chemistry that was my hardest class.
This was a conflict for me because I wanted a good job when I grew up but I just couldn’t give up video games.
My solution was to change my perspective.
I asked myself if I wanted to be a chemist when I grew up and the fact is I didn’t. I was pretty sure I wanted to be a sociologist.
So I told myself my chemistry class didn’t matter.
I decided that succeeding in school meant only doing well in the classes that related directly to my future career.
I eliminated the conflict at least in my mind.
(Sample answer)
The reading passage discusses cognitive dissonance, which arises when individuals experience mental discomfort due to a contradiction between their actions and beliefs.
In the accompanying lecture, the professor illustrates this concept with a personal anecdote from his high school years. As a freshman, he found himself immersed in video games, leading to failing grades, particularly in chemistry. This behavior presented a contradiction, as he harbored aspirations for a successful future career but continued to prioritize gaming over academics.
In an effort to resolve this internal conflict, the professor underwent a shift in perspective. He reassessed his career goals and realized that his interests lay in sociology rather than chemistry. With this newfound clarity, he no longer viewed chemistry as essential to his future success, thereby alleviating the cognitive dissonance he experienced.