Many of the early mass media studies were done by or based on research done by Paul Lazarsfeld, who was known as one of the fathers of the Communications discipline. He began his career as a sociologist, but Lazarsfeld did a lot of the early Communications research. The theory of cognitive dissonance was developed by Leon Festinger in 1951, and has been the basis of several studies by researchers like Lazarsfeld. Festinger developed the theory after seeing widespread rumors in India of a coming disaster after a large earthquake had struck the area. He and his team determined that the rumor took root because it fulfilled the prophecy that came from an underlying fear in a majority of people and created a reduction in dissonance (Stone; 1999).
Cognitive dissonance took the place of earlier conditioning and reinforcement theories, and has been used and accepted by many disciplines. This theory sees individuals as purposely making decisions to achieve a balance in the information they take in and their preconceived ideas (Stone; 1999).
The theory claims that an uncomfortable psychological state motivates people to consciously and subconsciously alleviate the dissonance. It states that people will seek information that reinforces what they already believe to be true. Cognitive dissonance is also believed to be linked to self-esteem in relation to self-knowledge, self-reliance and morality (Stone; 1999).
When we compare this to the communication discipline’s theory of uses and gratifications, we find studies dating back to the 1940s by Lazarsfeld, who advanced both theories as well as the limited effects paradigm (Stone; 1999).
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