Group polarization and its relation to group member self-monitoring

Dale Edwin Williams, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

Two projects were conducted to test the hypotheses that attributions are subject to group polarization and that the degree of polarization experienced is moderated by the number of high self-monitoring individuals in the group. In Study 1, individuals completed a measure of self-monitoring as well as an attribution measure. Subjects were then randomly assigned to groups of 4 and, as a group, completed the attribution task. It was found that group attributions were more extreme than individual attributions. This polarization was found in only those groups made up primarily of low self-monitoring individuals; high self-monitoring groups did not exhibit the polarization phenomenon. Study 2 was carried out in an effort to replicate and extend these findings. To control for homogeneity of self-monitoring scores, subjects were pretested on that dimension and called back 6 weeks later; the pretest scores were used to create small groups homogeneous with respect to self-monitoring. These small groups did not exhibit polarization (though there was a nonsignificant trend toward polarization). Further, the high and low self-monitoring groups did not differ with regard to the amount of polarization displayed. Potential reasons for this failure to replicate (e.g., methodological differences between Studies 1 and 2) are discussed as are directions for future research.

Subject Area

Social psychology

Recommended Citation

Williams, Dale Edwin, "Group polarization and its relation to group member self-monitoring" (1989). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8918569.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8918569

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