Susan carefully rinses her mouth with an unpleasant-tasting mouthwash every day One day, Susan reads an article reporting credible dental research that suggests that mouthwash is completely ineffective and that mouthwash may even be related to tooth decay. The discomfort that Susan experiences in response to this article is calleda. insufficient justification. b. cognitive dissonance. c. self-discrepancy. d. self-justification.

The discomfort that Susan experiences in response to this article is called b. cognitive dissonance.

Explanation:

Our tendency is to try and maintain a state of cognitive consistency, in which our beliefs and behaviors are in harmony. That allows us to function mentally in the real world. However, when we receive information that goes against our behaviors, our actions, and our beliefs, we experience a sense of mental discomfort called cognitive dissonance. That is precisely what happened to Susan. Her belief was that using a mouthwash was good for her buccal health. Instead, she learns that her action might be very well damaging her teeth. This conflicting information causes her to enter a state of cognitive dissonance.