Aversive conditioning: Learning or dissonance reduction?

Hypothesized that the theory of cognitive dissonance could account for the results of aversive conditioning therapy. 30 male smokers, who desired to stop the habit, were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions. The conditioning (C) group received shock contingent on smoking; the pseudoconditioning (PC) group received shock in an irrelevant situation; and the control (Con) group replicated the C group treatment, but received no shock. All groups reduced smoking significantly. Results are consistent with the hypothesis. Factors of belief, expectancy, and cognitive consistency are important in behavior therapies and process studies are required to substantiate theoretical assumptions about why psychotherapies are successful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)