When graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, tells Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and then Curley and Schultz, no report was made ( Chappell). This is the beginning of where cognitive dissonance occurs. This case, just like the Milgram experiment, involved step-by-step exposure. Over the course of the scandal, from 1977 to 2012, there were little reports here and there. It was the first time that the case was not questioned further, a deeper investigation was not conducted, it did not go to trial and this is where the cognitive dissonance occurs. Here the people involved have the attitude of caring about the children and their well-being, but their behavior of not asking questions or reporting anything went against their attitude. This has caused a dissonance that can be canceled out by changing one's attitude. Maybe this was saying oh, it was just “joking” or “no big deal.” This statement starts the cycle of not speaking up constantly because otherwise it would mean they were “bad guys” because they chose not to report it the first time. Just like the participants in Milgram's experiment, it's easier to follow the routine and stay on course than to face the reality of the situation and why they didn't do anything in the first place.