Liars by Cass R. Sunstein

Author:Cass R. Sunstein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2020-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Group Polarization

Suppose that a group of ten people tends to believe that something is true, even though it is not. They might believe that some public official has done something terribly wrong or that some product does or does not cause a public health risk. What will happen after they speak with one another? The likely answer is that they will become more confident, more unified, and more extreme in their commitment to their false belief. The phenomenon is known as group polarization. As James Madison put it, “The reason of man, like man himself, is timid and cautious when left alone, and acquires firmness and confidence in proportion to the number with which it is associated.”22

Group polarization is among the most robust patterns found in deliberating bodies, and it has been found in many places. Polarization occurs when group discussion leads group members to a more extreme point in line with their tendencies before they started to talk.23 Consider some examples of the basic phenomenon, which has been found in over a dozen nations.24

(a) A group of moderately profeminist women will become more strongly profeminist after discussion.25

(b) After discussion, citizens of France become more critical of the United States and its intentions with respect to economic aid.26

(c) After discussion, whites predisposed to show racial prejudice offer more negative responses to the question of whether white racism is responsible for conditions faced by African Americans in American cities.27

(d) After discussion, whites predisposed not to show racial prejudice offer more positive responses to the same question.28

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