COGNITIVE DISSONANCE IN SUPPORTERS OF A LOSING CANDIDATE.

Adult night-school students indicated their attitudes toward presidential and California senatorial candidates in the 1964 elections. Measures were taken five days before the elections, two days after the elections, and one month after the elections. Festinger's dissonance theory predicts that pre-election attitudes among supporters of losing candidates become more favorable in postelection ratings. Results showed significant changes in the opposite direction. Lack of social support, measurement timing, and predecision dissonance reduction are seen to bear on these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]