Cognitive Dissonance: Justification of Effort and its Effects on Athletic Performance in the Pool

Abstract

The proposed study sought to intersect two very different subjects: cognitive dissonance and athletics. Cognitive dissonance would be induced to see if it fostered improvement in swimmers. The hypothesis presented an inversion of effort justification: one could postulate that if a desired outcome (i.e., improvement) is valued more when greater effort is put forth, perceived hard work could potentially create a desired outcome. The present study would then theoretically demonstrate the opposite: hard work, whether real or perceived, would create a desired outcome (i.e., time drops).