On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:17:55 -0400, Peter A >
wrote:

>In article >, sf says...
>> >Waste of baking soda. See http://www.pgacon.com/KitchenMyths.htm
>> >
>> >Arm & Hammer really flummoxed millions of people with this one,
>> >including me until I learned the truth.
>>
>> I know it's on the myth list, but it works for me anyway. She can at
>> least try and it won't cost her an arm or a leg.
>>
>
>This is an example of people being deluded by what they think is true.
>You think that baking soda reduces odors, so after putting it in the
>fridge for a while you convince yourself that the odors are in fact
>reduced, even though they are not (or, if they are, it's from another
>cause). Psychologists call this cognitive dissonance.

not exactly. from wikipedia:

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term which describes the
uncomfortable tension that may result from having two conflicting
thoughts at the same time, or from engaging in behavior that conflicts
with one's beliefs. More precisely, it is the perception of
incompatibility between two cognitions, where "cognition" is defined
as any element of knowledge, including attitude, emotion, belief, or
behavior. The theory of cognitive dissonance states that contradicting
cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire
or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so
as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions.
Experiments have attempted to quantify this hypothetical drive. Some
of these examined how beliefs often change to match behavior when
beliefs and behavior are in conflict.

....so it would only be cognitive dissonance if you used the baking
soda and the smell got *worse*, but you continued to use it anyway,
because mamma said so. if you use baking soda and the smell faded due
to the passage of time or some other reason, you'd merely be mistaken.
there's no real 'dissonance.'

c.d. might apply, say, if you believed george bush was a great
president, viewed the cluster**** he has orchestrated in iraq, but
continued to think he was a great president.

your pal,
karl