In the context of social psychology, if a group of individuals is exposed to persuasive information that challenges their existing beliefs, what is a logical prediction about their likely response?

• A. They are likely to forget the information entirely due to selective attention.
• B. They may experience cognitive dissonance and either change their beliefs or rationalize their original attitudes.
• C. They will become completely indifferent to the topic and show no emotional response.
• D. They will immediately and uniformly accept the new information without resistance.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of cognitive dissonance, which occurs when individuals experience psychological discomfort due to holding conflicting beliefs or attitudes.
2. Recognize that when people are exposed to persuasive information that challenges their existing beliefs, this conflict can trigger cognitive dissonance.
3. Consider the typical ways individuals resolve cognitive dissonance: either by changing their beliefs to align with the new information or by rationalizing and justifying their original attitudes to reduce discomfort.
4. Evaluate why other options, such as forgetting the information due to selective attention, becoming indifferent, or immediately accepting the new information without resistance, are less consistent with social psychology research.
5. Conclude that the most logical prediction is that individuals will experience cognitive dissonance and respond by either adjusting their beliefs or rationalizing their original attitudes.