Question

Tabitha was not quite sure how she felt about the new health care law signed by president obama. she was leaning toward the idea that the health care bill was a good one, but she was still not completely for it. after discussing the bill with her four roommates, who were all in full support of the new legislation, tabitha became a strong supporter of the new bill. what psychological phenomenon just occurred that caused tabitha to solidify her point of view?

Answer 1

The correct answer is group polarization.

Group polarization refers to the phenomenon where individuals in a group setting have ideas that become more extreme and radical compared to their actual and personally held judgments and beliefs. In other words, being part of a group influences a member's beliefs. In this instance, Tabitha personally had doubts and lack of clarity regarding the new health care law signed by president Obama, however, after hearing the opinion of her four roommates on this matter, her opinion was influenced by them and matched their option, thus, demonstrating the effect of group polarization.