The relationship between cognitive dissonance and helping behavior

An experiment was conducted to study the relationship between cognitive dis sonance and helping behavior. A counterattitudinal procedure was employed t o arouse dissonance. For half of the participants, an experimental confeder ate entered the room and elicited an opportunity for them to offer help. in this situation, fewer subjects in the dissonance condition offered help th an subjects in the no-dissonance condition. The least helping occurred amon g dissonance subjects with the highest level of commitment to the counterat titudinal task. Those with a medium level of commitment offered significant ly more help. Despite the fact that results in line with Festinger's cognit ive dissonance theory (subjects' attitudinal change) were obtained in the n o-helping situation, in helping situations, dissonance subjects who offered help presented significantly less attitude change than those who did not o ffer it. This was considered to be a result of helpfulness reducing dissona nce arousal.