Elliot Aronson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elliot Aronson
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Aronson in 1972
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| Born | January 9, 1932 Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Brandeis University Wesleyan University Stanford University |
| Known for | research on cognitive dissonance, high-impact experimentation, Jigsaw Classroom, gain–loss theory of attraction |
| Awards | AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research, APS William James Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Social psychology, applied social psychology, media psychology |
| Institutions | Harvard University University of Minnesota University of Texas University of California, Santa Cruz |
| Doctoral advisor | Leon Festinger |
| Doctoral students | Merrill Carlsmith, John Darley, Anthony Greenwald, Alexander Gonzalez |
Elliot Aronson (born January 9, 1932) is an American psychologist. Psychologists study how people think, feel, and behave. Aronson is famous for his work on cognitive dissonance. This is a theory about how we feel uncomfortable when our actions don't match our beliefs.
He also invented the Jigsaw Classroom. This is a special way of teaching that helps students learn together. It also helps reduce tension and prejudice between different groups of students.
In his 1972 book, The Social Animal, he shared an important idea. He said, "People who do crazy things are not necessarily crazy." This means that sometimes, situations can make people act in surprising ways. Aronson is the only person to win all three major awards from the American Psychological Association. These awards are for his writing, teaching, and research. He officially retired in 1994 but still teaches and writes.
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Growing Up and School
Aronson grew up in Revere, Massachusetts. His family was very poor during the Great Depression. This was a time in the 1930s when many people in the U.S. lost their jobs and money. His family was the only Jewish family in their neighborhood. Sometimes, he faced bullying on his way home from school.
He believes that success in life comes from luck, chances, talent, and good instincts. Even though his high school grades were not great, he scored high on his SAT tests. This helped him get a scholarship to Brandeis University.
He first studied economics in college. But he changed his mind after hearing a lecture by Abraham Maslow. Maslow was a famous psychologist. Aronson realized that psychology explored questions he had always wondered about. Maslow became his main teacher and had a big impact on his early career.
Aronson earned his first degree from Brandeis in 1954. He then got a master's degree from Wesleyan University in 1956. Later, he earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University in 1959. His main teacher there was Leon Festinger.
His Career as a Professor
Elliot Aronson has taught at many well-known universities. These include Harvard University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Texas. He also taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was even a visiting professor at Stanford University.
He was named one of the 100 most important psychologists of the 20th century. He won the William James Award for his lifetime achievements in psychology. He also received awards for his research and for his work on reducing prejudice. In 1981, he was named "Professor of the Year" by a national council.
What He Studied
Understanding Cognitive Dissonance
Aronson spent a lot of time studying cognitive dissonance. This theory says that people feel uncomfortable when their actions and beliefs don't match. For example, if you believe being healthy is important but you eat a lot of junk food, you might feel this discomfort. To feel better, you might change your eating habits or try to convince yourself that junk food isn't so bad.
In one famous experiment, Aronson showed this idea. He found that people who went through a difficult or embarrassing process to join a group liked that group more. They liked it more than people who joined easily. This is because they had to justify why they went through such a hard time.
Aronson explained that people are not always logical. Instead, he said we are "rationalizing animals." This means we try to make our actions seem logical to ourselves and to others.
The Jigsaw Classroom Method
Aronson helped create a special teaching method called the Jigsaw Classroom. This method helps reduce tension between different student groups. It also helps students feel better about themselves. Before this method, classrooms often had a lot of competition among students.
In 1971, schools in Austin, Texas, were facing problems. They had just started mixing students from different ethnic backgrounds. This led to some violence between groups. Aronson was asked to help. He noticed that the competitive school environment made the tension worse.
So, he and his students developed the Jigsaw Classroom. Here's how it works:
- Students are put into small groups. Each group has a mix of students from different backgrounds and abilities.
- A lesson, like a biography of a historical person, is broken into parts.
- Each student in the group is responsible for learning one part.
- Students with the same part from different groups meet in "expert groups." They discuss their part together.
- Then, they go back to their original groups. Each student teaches their part to the others in their group.
- Finally, students are tested on all parts of the lesson.
This method makes students listen to each other. Everyone in the group is important because they each have a piece of the puzzle. Studies showed that the Jigsaw Classroom helped students learn better. It also improved their self-esteem and their attitudes toward other groups. This method is now used in many schools. Aronson even suggested using it to help reduce school violence after events like the Columbine High School massacre.
How We Like Others: Gain–Loss Theory
In 1965, Aronson suggested a theory about why we like some people more than others. He said it's about how we gain or lose positive feelings from them. For example, a compliment means more when it comes from someone who usually criticizes you. It means less if it comes from someone who always praises you. This is because the "gain" of a compliment from a critical person feels more significant.
The Pratfall Effect
Aronson also studied something called the pratfall effect. This is about how making a small mistake can change how much people like you. If someone is seen as very smart or capable, making a small blunder might actually make them seem more human and likable. But if someone is already seen as clumsy, a mistake might make people like them even less.
Personal Life
Elliot Aronson is married to Vera Aronson. They met while working as research assistants for Abraham Maslow. They have four children: Hal, Neal, Julie, and Joshua. Joshua is also a social psychologist, just like his father.
In 2000, Aronson was diagnosed with macular degeneration. This is an eye condition that caused him to lose his central vision by 2003. To help him with his blindness, Aronson decided to get a guide dog. In 2011, he trained with his new guide dog, Desilu, who he called Desi. He said the training was intense, working 14 hours a day. He joked that they worked until they were "almost as smart as our dogs."
See also
- Insufficient justification § The forbidden toy experiment
- List of social psychologists
