If you were to apply the methodology of Festinger's Seekers study to investigate how members of a modern forum react when a predicted technological event fails to happen, how would you design the observation and what specific cognitive outcome would you measure based on Festinger's theory?
Question: If you were to apply the methodology of Festinger's Seekers study to investigate how members of a modern forum react when a predicted technological event fails to happen, how would you design the observation and what specific cognitive outcome would you measure based on Festinger's theory?
Sample answer: I would design a disguised participant observation by joining the online forum without revealing my researcher status to observe the members' natural discussions. I would measure cognitive dissonance by looking for rationalizations, such as members claiming their own efforts delayed or changed the outcome, instead of abandoning their beliefs.
Key points:
- Applies the disguised participant observation design to a modern online forum.
- Specifies joining without revealing researcher identity.
- Identifies measuring coping mechanisms/rationalizations (cognitive dissonance theory) when the prediction fails.
Rubric: The response must apply the concepts by: 1) specifying a disguised participant observation design where the researcher's identity is hidden, and 2) identifying the measurement of cognitive dissonance/coping mechanisms (e.g., rationalizing that their efforts saved or changed the event rather than admitting the belief was wrong).
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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If you were to apply the methodology of Festinger's Seekers study to investigate how members of a modern forum react when a predicted technological event fails to happen, how would you design the observation and what specific cognitive outcome would you measure based on Festinger's theory?