This dissertation involved the development of a new construct, perceived privacy breach (PPB), to evaluate how a person perceives breaches of privacy in terms of whether they perceive any exchange of information was fair or not and how they believe it will impact people whose information has been shared. This instrument assists researchers to understand how a person perceives a possible breach of privacy. The PPB instrument was created after conducting a pilot study of approximately 200 undergraduate students and testing the data for possible dimensions in an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The EFA resulted in a concise 14 item questionnaire with three dimensions: dispersion, fairness, and impact. The PPB instrument was utilized in a larger study with 285 participants after a small pilot test (n=27) to study the impact of perceptions of privacy preaches upon a person's level of concern for his or her own privacy and the effect it has on their trust in organizations to protect their privacy in relation to their usage of Internet search engines. It also studied how the combination of perceptions of privacy breaches, general privacy concern, and trust had an impact on a person's anxiety and decision to continue using online search engines. The study also theorized that a person's concern for privacy and use of search engines might result in cognitive dissonance, which might have an effect on the way people think about privacy issues. The model was analyzed using a two step process. First a confirmatory factory analysis (CFA) using the software application EQS was run on the measurement model, in which all the instruments were assessed. The perceived privacy breach instrument had a Cronbach's alpha value of .89. The structural model was run in EQS and achieved a CFI fit of .86. There was a statistically significant relationship between perceived privacy breach and privacy concern, and between privacy concern and trust. Increase in trust was shown to have an effect on technology usage attitude. Hypotheses involving cognitive dissonance showed statistically significant results in the opposite direction.

This thesis is an exploration of a head teacher's experience of Lesson Study. It aims to consider how Lesson Study develops teacher learning through consideration of collaboration, expertise and professional conflict. The methodology embraces the lived experience of introducing a collaborative method of teacher development, Lesson Study into a primary school and exploring its impact. The research is conducted through an exploratory layered method, considering the Lesson Study teams, the whole school and the head teacher's thoughts and reflections on and about Lesson Study. The exploration in this thesis found that Lesson Study is far from breath-takingly simple (Dudley, 2013) and that there are many complexities and variables within each Lesson Study group that need to be considered carefully in order to enhance any opportunity for teacher learning. This thesis describes how these different elements, collaboration, expertise and professional conflict, interacted in two different Lesson Study teams. These findings, are presented alongside the head teacher's reflections. Building on these reflections the thesis starts to articulate how Lesson Study could offer teacher learning opportunities and which elements of school culture, teacher expertise and understanding would need to be developed, honed and considered in order to create an outcome which results in teacher learning. This research provides an exploration how teacher learning may be generated through Lesson Study work. It extends the current literature on teacher learning in Lesson Study by identifying and exploring professional conflict alongside collaboration and expertise. Teacher learning opportunities are not simply created in the context the research took place. It concludes that while teacher learning can be generated through Lesson Study; the conditions and culture of a setting, alongside the skills, knowledge and expertise of the teachers involved in each team are also crucial.

This study aimed to determine the potential of packaging to strengthen brand equity in female apparel retail stores. A field experiment was conducted in the Tshwane metropolitan - a key political, economic and urban area in South Africa - to investigate the potential of packaging to be acknowledged as an additional element of the marketing mix in terms of its influence on consumers’ perceptions of the service offering of retailers and their brand equity. The study was done in the context of an emerging economy, where international clothing brands have infiltrated the market and become widely accessible in recent years. The data was collected by using convenience sampling methods, and the self-completion of a structured questionnaire after respondents acted as mystery shoppers at a Single Brand Retailer (SBR) and a Department Store (DS) that carry the same footwear brand in a major shopping centre in this metropolitan. The SBR offers consumers a branded high quality canvas tote bag after purchase, whereas the DS offers a generic plastic bag irrespective of the type of purchase or the price paid. Willing females, all final year students at the University of Pretoria (n =103) were divided in two groups. Individuals visited the two retailers according to a schedule compiled by the researcher. One group visited the SBR first, followed by the DS. The other group did the task in the reverse order. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, specifically Principle Component analysis using PROMAX and PROCRUSTES rotation for the two scales that investigated the service offering and brand equity respectively, Means, Standard deviations, Cronbach’s Alpha as well as paired and non-paired 2-tailed t-tests. This study confirmed the potential of secondary packaging as an independent element of the marketing mix in the branded clothing retail industry. The packaging construct dissociated it from the construct ‘Product’ as the literature suggests, which confirms that marketing elements adapt over time and that these changes have to be acknowledged in retail. Respondents generally had a less favourable instore experience in the DS compared to the SBR. The packaging format of SBR was also evaluated more favourably, which enhanced perceptions of the overall service offering. This suggests that respondents’ less favourable evaluation of the less prestigious packaging offered in the DS, is partly to blame for the lower overall evaluations of the service offering of the DS. Packaging also contributed/enhanced brand equity as consumers’ perceptions of the packaging formats – irrespective of whether it was a SBR or a DS – positively contributed to consumers’ perceptions of the brand equity of the retailers that they visited. The contribution of packaging towards brand equity was mostly more prominent than the contribution of other marketing elements such Advertising and Promotion. An order effect was noted. Respondents who visited the DS first, were significantly more impressed with the SBR. Those who went to the SBR first, seemed more forgiving and evaluated the service offering and the brand equity lower compared to the SBR but nevertheless evaluated it more favourably than the group that patronized the DS first. Packaging does not seem to relieve post purchase regret. Respondents were more regretful after their SBR experience. Several explanations may be used to explain this and future studies are envisaged to expand the findings. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted

Le paradigme des auto-prophéties est abordé sous l'angle de la théorie de la dissonance cognitive. Prédire son comportement rendrait accessible deux éléments de pensée potentiellement contradictoires. D'une part, les croyances normatives associées au comportement qui relèvent du prescriptif, d'autre part, le comportement passé transgressif. Un individu n'agissant pas en accord avec son système de croyances serait sujet à une inconsistance cognitive génératrice de dissonance. En prédisant son comportement cet individu prendrait conscience qu'il n'agit pas toujours comme il le devrait. Cette thèse comprend 6 expériences (N=788). Nous testons les effets de la réalisation d'une prédiction sur le recyclage des déchets. Le recyclage est perçu comme un comportement normatif auprès d'une population universitaire (expérience 1). Les auto-prophéties réalisées en contexte de libre-choix et en l'absence de fausse attribution amènent les participants à exprimer une attitude favorable au recyclage (expérience 2). Nous montrons qu'une prédiction est source d'inconfort psychologique uniquement en contexte de libre-choix (expérience 3) et lorsque l'habitude de recycler est faible (expérience 4). Les croyances normatives sont également impliquées dans le processus de dissonance et médiatisent l'effet de l'habitude sur l'inconfort psychologique (expérience 5). La justification du comportement passé, qui est un mode de réduction de la dissonance, réduit l'inconfort psychologique en situation de prédiction (expérience 6). Nous proposons des pistes de recherches ainsi que des applications possibles au paradigme des auto-prophéties. / Paradigm of self-prophecies is discussed under the cognitive dissonance theory. Predict his behavior would make accessible two potentially contradictory elements of thought. Firslty, normative beliefs associated with behavior that fall within the prescriptive, on the other hand, the transgressive past behavior. An individual not acting in accordance with his belief system, would be subject to a cognitive inconsistency that generates dissonance. By predicting his behavior this individual would realize that he does not always act as they should. This thesis includes six experiments (N=788). We test the effects of performing a prediction on waste recycling. Recycling is perceived as normative behavior near university population (experiment 1). Self-prophecies realized in a free-choice context and in the absence of misattribution bring the participants to express a favorable attitude for recycling (experiment 2). We show that a prediction is a source of psychological discomfort only in a free-choice context (experiment 3) and when habit of recycling is low (experiment 4). Normative beliefs are also involved in the dissonance process and mediate the effect of habit on psychological discomfort (experiment 5). The justification of past behavior, which is a mode of dissonance reduction, reduced psychological discomfort in situation of prediction (experiment 6). We propose tracks of research and possible applications to the paradigm of self-prophecies.

Aronson, E., Fried, C., Stone, J., (1991) ont cherché à mettre en place une procédure permettant aux acteurs de la vie sociale de promouvoir de nouveaux comportements socialement souhaitables, comme l’utilisation du préservatif. C’est ainsi que va naître le paradigme de l’hypocrisie induite. Ce paradigme résulte de l’enchaînement de deux facteurs : l’engagement dans le comportement pro-normatif et, le rappel et la saillance des transgressions récentes passées. L’articulation des deux phases provoque un état de dissonance qui va générer une modification du comportement dans le sens du discours pro-normatif. Cette thèse a cherché à démontrer de quelle manière ce paradigme de l’hypocrisie induite est le plus efficace en termes de modification du comportement : en restant anonyme ou en déclinant son identité. Fried (1998), identifie les sujets avec leurs transgressions en déclinant leur identité afin d'augmenter leur dissonance. Toutefois, les résultats obtenus ont démontré le contraire. Cette thèse, présente quatre expérimentations, reprenant la manipulation du facteur « déclinaison de son identité » dans le paradigme de l’hypocrisie induite, lors des deux phases. Les résultats obtenus répliquent en termes de changement de comportement, ceux obtenus par Fried. L’effet d’hypocrisie disparaît lorsque les sujets sont identifiés avec leur rappel des transgressions. Il résulte de nos travaux que la formule la plus efficace à l’obtention de l’effet d’hypocrisie est celle combinant un prêche et un rappel des transgressions anonymes. De plus, la dissonance éveillée suite à la manipulation d’hypocrisie peut être réduite par d’autres voies que la modification du comportement. / Aronson, E., Fried, C., Stone, J., (1991) sought to establish a procedure allowing the actors of society to promote new socially desirable behaviors such as condom use. Thus is born the paradigm of the induced hypocrisy.This paradigm results from a chain of two factors: engagement in pro-normative behavior and recall and salience recent past transgressions. The articulation of the two phases causes a state of dissonance that will generate a change in behavior in the direction of pro-normative discourse. In this thesis, we sought to demonstrate how the paradigm of the induced hypocrisy is the most efficient in terms of behavior modification: remaining anonymous or stating his identity. In a study done by Fried (1998), subjects are identified with their transgressions by declining their identity. This was to increase dissonance. However, the results have shown otherwise.This thesis presents four experiments, taking one hand manipulation of the factor "version of its identity" in the experimental procedure paradigm induced hypocrisy, not only for the transgression phase but also in the phase of preaching. And secondly, introducing new ways of reducing cognitive dissonance.The results obtained replicate in terms of behavior change, those obtained by Fried. The hypocrisy effect disappears when subjects are identified with their recall of transgressions. It is clear from our work that the most effective formula to obtain the effect of hypocrisy is by combining a sermon and a reminder anonymous transgressions. Our studies also show that the dissonance aroused from manipulating hypocrisy can be reduced by means other than behavior modification.

abstract: The “filter bubble” has been a heated discussion topic since several years ago. In addition to possible algorithmic contribution to this phenomenon, people’s selective exposure tendency may be another primary cause of the “filter bubble” on social media. Prior research indicates that, under the influence of selective exposure tendency, people tend to perceive pro-attitudinal news as more credible than counter-attitudinal news, with strong partisans more likely to be affected. The proposed thesis seeks to examine whether the perceived credibility of a news source and story on social media is influenced by selective exposure and strength of partisanship. Through an experimental study via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, 468 participants chose or were assigned to read an ostensible news story from a social media feed with the news source and ideological slant varied between participants. The results showed that people reported higher perceived source and story credibility when the source and stories were pro-attitudinal (consistent with their political ideology) as opposed to counter-attitudinal, regardless of participants’ age, race, perceived credibility of news from social media, in general, and strength of partisanship. However, contrary to the hypotheses, selective exposure behavior (i.e., choosing a preferred news source before reading a news story) did not affect credibility perceptions when participants read counter-attitudinal news from a pro-attitudinal source. Last, strength of partisanship did not moderate the influence of selective exposure on credibility perceptions. In sum, this study suggests that although selective exposure tendency may affect people’s credibility perceptions and contribute to “filter bubbles,” the impact of selective exposure behavior may be overestimated in terms of perceived source and story credibility of news on social media. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Public Administration 2020

In the United States, eating disorders affect approximately 20 million women annually (National Institutes of Health, 2011). With such a high prevalence, ensuring help-seeking in individuals with eating disorders is critical. A previously-supported eating disorder prevention approach includes cognitive dissonance intervention (CDI). CDI’s purpose is to change a person’s behavior to reflect their attitude or cognition. While true self intervention has not been with previously been applied to eating disorders, it has been efficacious in improving psychological risk factors associated with eating disorder risk. The current study combined true self and CDI to test a more holistic prevention tool (i.e. combining psychological and cognitive approaches to prevention). Specifically, the current study compared the combination prevention to true self intervention only, CDI only, and a control condition to examine outcomes of body satisfaction, eating disorder pathology, psychological outcomes, and help-seeking intentions. Overall, evidence did not support the preventions’ combined prevention superiority to control within the entire sample. When exploring individuals at risk of an eating disorder, however, CDI was significantly better than true self in reducing binge episodes and self-esteem. Furthermore, the combination prevention was significantly better than true self at increasing self-esteem. The following results warrant more research exploring other potential preventions to increase positive psychological outcomes. Moreover, future research should explore more options for increasing help-seeking intentions.

This creative non-thesis project includes three theories from communication studies. Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Cultivation Theory, and Cognitive Dissonance Theory. Each theoretical framework also includes a script written with the intent of filming in the future. Those videos could be shown in communication classes. These three theories cover a breadth of knowledge in the field as they pertain to interpersonal communication, media studies, and persuasion.

Some human actions are linked to the decline of the environment on a planetary scale. In order to motivate individuals to adopt pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs), it is important to understand how individuals react when exposed to persuasive messages. The goal of this program of research was to examine the influence of images of climate change causes, consequences, and solutions on the relationships between environmental motivation, psychological discomfort, discomfort compensation strategies, as well as changes in pro-environmental attitude and PEBs. In Study 1 (N = 199), I identified visual stimuli (pictures) depicting causes, consequences or solutions to global warming to be used in Study 2. Also, I examined the relationship between environmental motivation and competency on the perception of these pictures. The results indicated that the pictures depicting causes or consequences were perceived more negatively than pictures depicting solutions. In addition, findings showed that regardless of the individual’s perceived level of environmental competence and their type of motivation towards PEBs, individuals had a negative perception of pictures depicting causes and consequences to global warming as well as a positive perception of pictures related to solutions to global warming. In Study 2 (N = 312), I examined the relationships between environmental motivation, psychological discomfort, discomfort compensation strategies, as well as changes in pro-environmental attitude and PEBs following the exposition to images identified in Study 1. Three models based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Action-Based Model, and the Hierarchical Action-Based model of Inconsistency Compensation in the Environment (HABICE) domain were examined. The results indicated that exposure to pictures alone is not enough to generate a significant change in pro-environmental attitude or PEBs. The findings showed that the SDT model was best suited to explain the process leading to PEBs changes when exposed to pictures depicting causes of global warming. Finally, the results indicated that the HABICE model was best suited to explain changes in pro-environmental attitude when individuals are exposed to pictures depicting consequences. The HABICE was also a good model to explain the relationships among the different variables when individuals are exposed to pictures depicting solutions to global warming. Overall, this program of research contributed to both SDT and the HABICE models by supporting their conceptual framework.

Sun exposure is implicated in the majority of skin cancer cases so it is important to identify interventions that successfully decrease young people's tanning behaviors and increase their sun protection behaviors. Research suggests that interventions that focus on the more immediate appearance related effects of tanning, rather than on future health risks, may be more effective in altering UV-related behaviors. Dissonance induction is a strategy that has been used to successfully alter other health-related behaviors. This study sought to determine if a dissonance induction intervention might be similarly successful in changing UV-related behaviors. The study yielded mixed findings. Relative to a healthy lifestyle control condition, the tanning condition resulted in a decrease in intentions to tan indoors and in actual number of hours spent sunbathing. The tanning condition also resulted in an increase in intentions to use sunscreen on the body. However, compared to a psycho-educational control condition, both groups seemed to have been equally successful and unsuccessful on different measures of UV-related behaviors and intentions. The findings of this study suggest that a dissonance induction intervention for tanning may be successful, but that it requires further study. Despite the mixed findings, this study serves as an important step in the search for successful interventions for decreasing tanning behaviors and increasing sun-protection behaviors.