1. Cognitive Dissonance theory and the Benjamin Franklin Effect: The
influence on individuals’ tendencies to perform favors
Vanessa Curro, Gabrielle Rosa, Vanessa Wright
Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut
• This study examined the likelihood
of individuals to perform favors in
order to reduce cognitive
dissonance.
• The Ben Franklin effect proposes
that doing a favor for someone will
increase your liking towards them,
and will also lead to a greater
likelihood that you will perform
subsequent favors in the future.
• Schopler and Compere (1971)
found that people act more
positively towards each other when
they receive positive feedback.
Current Study:
Participants played a hypothetical
Investment Game and were either
placed in condition 1: favor/
experimental condition and condition
2: control condition.
Hypotheses:
• Participants in the favor condition,
will be more likely to perform
subsequent favors than
participants in the control
condition.
• Females in the experimental
condition will choose to gift more
money throughout the Investment
Game than males.
Participants:
35 participants enrolled in PSYC
1100,1103, AND 2100WQ at the
UCONN Storrs campus.
Materials:
• Barrier
• Investment game instructions:
favor vs. control prompt
• Investment game worksheet
• Post-survey consisting of 8
multiple choice questions and 1
open ended question
• Pencil for dropping
Procedure:
• Participants were assigned to
either give a “gift” to the
confederate, or to not give a
“gift.”
• Participants played the
Investment game for three
rounds with a confederate.
Participants had to allot an
investment amount to be shared
between the confederate and
him or herself and a gift amount
that would benefit the other
participant (confederate).
• After three rounds, the
participant was given the post-
survey, during which the
confederate dropped a pencil to
see if the participant would pick
it up.
• Female participants in the
experimental condition gifted a
higher overall amount
throughout the game than
males in the experimental
condition.
• The data shows that there is no
main effect of condition on the
likelihood to perform
subsequent favors.
Implications:
• Females are more likely to
perform favors and
• Imposing the performance of a
favor does not appear to cause
them to choose to perform
future favors.
References
Schopler, J., & Compere, J. S. (1971). Effects of
being kind or harsh to another on liking. Journal
Of Personality And Social Psychology, 20(2),
155-159.
RESULTS
• A between subjects factorial
ANOVA was conducted on the
effects of the likelihood of a
participant to pick up a pencil based
upon their gender and favor
condition (experimental or control).
A main effect of gender was found
for the likelihood of picking up the
pencil, p=.008, p<.05.
• When prompted to give an initial gift
in the experimental group, females
were more likely to give higher gift
amounts. (M= 133.33, SD= 34.11),
while males, (M=100.00,
SD=34.108).
• In the control group, males were
more likely to give higher gift
amounts, (M= 314.29, SD=38.68),
while females, (M=220.00,
SD=32.36 ).
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
female male
AmountinDollars
Quasi Independent Varaible
Figure 1: The Amount Chosen to Gift on the Differing Conditions
Control
Experiment
DISCUSSIONMETHODINTRODUCTION