Question

question 8 of 10
maria has always been against gun control. but in a debate for class, she has
to argue for it. now she thinks gun control might be a good idea. this is an
example of:

a. mere exposure effect.

b. availability heuristic.

c. dispositional attribution.

d. cognitive dissonance.

Explanation:

Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. Maria was against gun control (original attitude) but had to argue for it (conflicting behavior), leading her to change her attitude to reduce the dissonance. The mere exposure effect relates to increased liking with repeated exposure, availability heuristic is about judging likelihood based on recall, and dispositional attribution is about attributing behavior to internal traits—none match this scenario as well as cognitive dissonance.

Answer:

D. cognitive dissonance.