Citation

van Kampen HS. Behav. Processes 2019; 159: 42-54.

Affiliation

Cognitive Neurobiology and Helmholtz Institute, Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: hendrik.van.kampen@upcmail.nl.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.beproc.2018.12.013

PMID

30562561

Abstract

At all levels of information processing in the brain, neural and cognitive structures tend towards a state of consistency. When two or more simultaneously active cognitive structures are logically inconsistent, arousal is increased, which activates processes with the expected consequence of increasing consistency and decreasing arousal. Increased arousal is experienced as aversive, while the expected or actual decrease in arousal as a result of increased consistency is experienced as rewarding. Modes of resolution of inconsistency can be divided into purely cognitive solutions, such as changing an attitude or an associated motor plan, and behavioural solutions, such as exploration, aggression, fear, and feeding. Models and theories consistent with the principle of consistency are numerous, have a long and continuing history, and come from many different scientific fields, such as social psychology, perception, neurocognition, learning, motor control, system control, ethology, and stress. The present paper presents a brief overview of relevant information from these fields of research, while focusing mainly on the implications of the principle of consistency for the understanding of the cause and function of behaviour. Based on this overview, it is proposed that all behaviour involving cognitive processing is caused by the activation of inconsistent cognitions and functions to increase perceived consistency.

Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Language: en

Keywords

Arousal; Cognitive consistency; Cognitive dissonance; Expectancy; Prediction error