Billy Longstreet bought a new car and was a bit uncertain about whether or not he had done the right thing. Two days after he purchased it, he decided to take it back to the dealer for installation of some additional optional equipment. When Billy returned to the dealership to pick up the car after the installation, the salesman who sold Billy the car said, "You know, in the last two hours three different customers told me how much they liked the looks of your new car. One of them even wanted to know if it was for sale!" This attempt by the salesman to confirm the wisdom of Billy's purchase decision seems to be aimed at reducing: