Cognitive Dissonance Reduction for Consumers

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School of Business | Bachelor's thesis
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Date

2022

Department

Markkinoinnin laitos

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Mcode

Degree programme

Markkinointi

Language

en

Pages

26

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Abstract

The main objective of this study is to generate a comprehensive understanding of how consumers reduce cognitive dissonance. This is achieved through critically examining research on cognitive dissonance reduction from the fields of social psychology, cognitive psychology, consumer research and marketing. To support the aim of this thesis, cognitive dissonance theory is briefly explained and its relevancy for consumer research and marketing is construed. The findings of the conducted literature review comprise six discrete strategies that consumers use to reduce cognitive dissonance: attitude change, behaviour change, trivialization, recall of consonant information, evading and categorisation. These strategies are examined in consumption related contexts and compared with one another. The study settles upon a categorisation based on whether their effect on the dissonance inducing discrepancy is objective or only subjective to the consumer. In addition, decisive factors that contribute to the incidence of each strategy are identified. The study found limitations in the generalisation of the current literature on cognitive dissonance reduction. Thus, the study leaves the categorisation and identification of dissonance reduction strategies open for future research. Nonetheless, understanding dissonance reduction through six distinct strategies that have specific inducing variables is proposed to be a beneficial tool for researchers and marketers. Especially due to the insight it offers to complex phenomena such as attitude-behavior gaps and customers’ changing behavior and attitudes.

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Thesis advisor

Toyoki, Sammy

Keywords

cognitive dissonance theory, dissonance reduction, consumer research, consumer psychology, attitude-behaviour gap, consumer behaviour research, consumer attitude research

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202201231339

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[kand] Kauppakorkeakoulu / BIZ (Open Access)