Group Polarization

The top executives for a company meet to discuss whether or not they should expand their products, a very risky but potentially fruitful endeavor. If the group members as a whole are initially somewhat conservative in their beliefs about what should be done (i.e., they are reluctant to expand their product base) what would be the likely result of a group discussion on the option? a. The board of directors will decide to expand their products. b. The board of directors will decide not to expand their products. c. The board of directors will be unable to reach a decision on what to do. d. There is no way to predict the eventual outcome of the discussion.

b. The board of directors will decide not to expand their products. Correct. Group polarization typically serves to exaggerate initial positions of individuals following group discussion. Therefore, if the executives are initially reluctant to expand their products, then it is likely that a group discussion will exaggerate this position, and they will decide not to expand.

Which of the following is NOT a reason groups tend to polarize in their decisions relative to individuals? a. Most people want to be liked by other group members. b.Group conflict is common, and tends to make members advocate an initial position more strongly. c. The act of stating a position out loud makes one feel more strongly about that position. d. If a group has an initial tendency towards one position, most of the arguments a group member hears will support that initial tendency.

b.Group conflict is common, and tends to make members advocate an initial position more strongly.

Which of the following was given by the narrator as a reason that people tend to align their positions with those of the group? a. People easily become frustrated with group processes and often give up advocating for their position in order to reach a consensus. b.People want to be liked by other group members, and so are likely to espouse positions similar to the mainstream opinion. c. When outnumbered by others, people will often publicly align themselves with the mainstream opinion, but privately disagree with it. d. People will go to great lengths to avoid group conflict, and would rather change their position than engage in a debate.

b.People want to be liked by other group members, and so are likely to espouse positions similar to the mainstream opinion. Correct. The narrator made the argument that one of the reasons that group polarization occurs is that most people want to be perceived favorably. As a result, when people see that the group is headed in a particular direction, they may tend to espouse positions that make them appear to be part of the mainstream position.

When making decisions, being part of a group tends to result in decisions that are a. riskier than the decisions that would be made by individuals. b. less risky than the decisions that would be made by individuals. c. more polarized in either direction, causing the group to advocate an initial position more strongly than would individuals. d. there are no consistent changes across group and individual decision making.

c. more polarized in either direction, causing the group to advocate an initial position more strongly than would individuals. Correct. Early research on group decision making suggested that people in groups made more risky decisions than did individuals. However, later research showed that being in a group polarizes people, causing them to become more strongly in favor of their initial position.

As suggested by the video segment, if you want to influence someone into believing more strongly in a particular position, how might you do this? a. Ask the person to explain the position from the opposite point of view. b. Ask the person to reflect quietly upon their position for 1 minute. c. Ask the person to write down their position. d. Ask the person to make a public declaration of their position.

d. Ask the person to make a public declaration of their position. Correct. When a person expresses a particular position, the act of making a public declaration tends to make a person's position more extreme.