ETS Major Field Test Psychology Practice Test 2025 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

The term that refers to the mental discomfort experienced when holding two conflicting beliefs is cognitive dissonance. This psychological phenomenon occurs when an individual encounters a situation where their beliefs, attitudes, or values are inconsistent with their actions or with other beliefs they hold. The resulting discomfort often motivates the individual to resolve the inconsistency, leading to changes in beliefs, justifications, or behaviors to restore harmony.

Cognitive dissonance is a fundamental concept in psychology and helps explain why people often seek to justify their decisions or change their beliefs in order to reduce the discomfort of the internal conflict. This can manifest in various ways, such as rationalizing behavior that is at odds with one’s values, or adjusting beliefs to align more closely with actions taken.

In contrast, confirmation bias refers to the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs, but it does not involve the conflict of holding two opposing beliefs. Attitude inoculation involves exposing someone to a weak form of an argument in order to prepare them to resist stronger arguments that might challenge their beliefs. Behavioral confirmation, also known as self-fulfilling prophecy, describes a process where expectations about an individual lead to behavior that confirms those expectations. These concepts do not