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High and low dissonance conditions were established by having subjects perceive greater or lesser choice associated with their performance on a boring, useless task. Enhanced assessments of that task, as resolutions of dissonance were predicted and observed more extensively in high than in low dissonance conditions. In order to examine "resistance to change" via dissonance conceptions, subjects were subsequently offered two otherwise equally attractive incentives. As predicted dissonance level produced variations in response to incentives. Low dissonance subjects (low prior task enhancement) showed no resistance to change, accepting both incentives. High dissonance subjects, however (high prior task enhancement), showed resistance to one incentive because its acceptance implied devaluating assessments of the task adopted in previous dissonance resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]