The tendency for group discussions to amplify the initial inclinations of group members, leading to more extreme positions than individuals would take alone. Groups don't moderate opinions but rather push them toward greater extremes in whatever direction they were already leaning.
The term emerged from research by James Stoner in the 1960s on the 'risky shift phenomenon,' later expanded by social psychologists in the 1970s. 'Polarization' comes from the concept of poles moving further apart, describing how group positions become more extreme.
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