group polarization

Meaning: Group polarization is the tendency for a group's average attitude to become more extreme in the direction it already leaned, after members discuss the issue. Two accounts explain it. Informational influence (persuasive arguments): members hear new arguments that favor the leaning they already hold, which strengthens their view. Normative influence (social comparison): members want to be seen favorably, so they shift to a position more extreme than the perceived group norm. Both can operate together.

On the MCAT: A passage has participants record private opinions, discuss in groups, then record opinions again. Predict that the post-discussion average is more extreme in the same direction as the pre-discussion average. Questions may ask which mechanism a scenario illustrates, or ask you to separate it from conformity and groupthink. Early studies of the "risky shift" found groups choosing riskier options. Later work showed that groups that start cautious can shift toward more caution.

Common confusion: Polarization is not a compromise toward the middle, and it is not groupthink. Groupthink is a flawed decision process in which the desire for harmony suppresses dissent, often in a cohesive group with a strong leader. Polarization is a shift in the attitudes themselves, and its direction follows the initial majority leaning.