A researcher wants to change the attitudes politically conservative people have about Michael Moore (conservatives HATE Michael Moore) using Cognitive Dissonance Theory. The researcher selects four groups of conservatives and asks each group to write positive essays about Michael Moore and his movies. The researcher then pays each group different amounts for writing their stories. After paying them, the researcher then asks the subjects to complete an opinion survey about Michael Moore. According to the dissonance account, which of the following payment amounts among the groups will lead to the most positive ratings of Michael Moore on the opinion surveys? A. $1
B. $5
C. $50
D. $500

A). $1

Explanation:

'Cognitive Dissonance Theory' is described as the theory that talks about the mental conflict that an individual suffers due to the disparity between his behavior and the beliefs he possesses. This conflict causes a feeling of discomfort, distress, and tension.

As per the details, the payment amount of $1 would be the most appropriate to bring positive grades from the people about Michael Moore as it will create a disagreement between people's behavior(their hate towards Moore) and their thoughts(they expect a huge amount for writing good about them) leading to a serious tension among them. In order to satisfy this conflict(when they are paid a minimal amount), they would write a positive opinion about him. Thus, option A is the correct answer.