The Group as a Polarizer of Attitudes

Abstract

Made comparisons of opinion and judgment ratings of experimental Ss in individual and collective situations. 140 male secondary school students comprised the sample. Group discussions to consensus resulted in statistically significant shifts toward the extremes of the scales. This polarization effect also characterized Ss' postconsensus individual ratings. These results challenged 2 widely held assumptions: (1) that group judgments are less extreme than individual judgments, and (2) that the "risky shift" phenomenon is a content-bound exception to the averaging tendency of the group. A reinterpretation of available data suggests that a normative commitment may be the underlying variable responsible for polarization effects. (34 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)