Psychopathic personality traits and cognitive dissonance: Individual differences in attitude change

In a study using a classic cognitive dissonance paradigm, 164 undergraduate participants were induced to deceive a fellow student; half were directly instructed to lie whereas the other half were politely requested but not instructed to lie. Participants were assessed for psychopathic traits using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised: Short Form and the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, and for Machiavellianism using the MACH-IV. As predicted, participants low in psychopathic traits exhibited classic cognitive dissonance effects following their lie whereas participants high in psychopathic traits did not. Results for Machiavellianism were nonsignificant. These results indicate that cognitive dissonance effects in an induced compliance paradigm are reduced or eliminated among individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits.

► We examined the effect of psychopathy and Machiavellianism on cognitive dissonance.
► An induced compliance task was used to elicit cognitive dissonance.
► Individuals lower in psychopathic traits evidenced cognitive dissonance.
► Individuals higher in psychopathic traits did not evidence cognitive dissonance.
► Results for Machiavellianism were not significant.