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Examines whether traditional manipulations of cognitive dissonance are arousing or motivating to the S and reviews the empirical evidence on this issue. Effects of dissonance produced either by decisions or by counterattitudinal behavior are reviewed in 4 topical areas: (a) response competition and verbal performance in task situations, (b) incidental retention in task situations, (c) misattribution of arousal states, and (d) physiological correlates. It is concluded that the evidence is consistent with a broad interpretation of dissonance as an arousal state. (11/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

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