Effects of reactions to arguments on group outcome: The case of group polarization

Abstract

One leading explanation for the phenomenon of group polarization posits that such decisional shifts are the result of effective argumentation by group members. Rather than considering arguments as static phenomena, however, the present study investigated the way in which majority and minority arguments are positively or negatively responded to by group members and the effects of such responses on the polarization process. Results using a typical group polarization research format demonstrated that reactions to minority arguments, and not the forwarding of minority arguments per se, were significantly correlated with the degree of group polarization.