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The Reevaluation of Information during Group Discussion

Department of Communication, Michigan State University, gwittenb{at}pilot.msu.edu

Garold Stasser

Department of Psychology, Miami University

Communication in small groups often yields uniform judgments among members, particularly when members are similar to one another. This investigation empirically tested whether group discussion leads members' evaluations of information to become more uniform, particularly in groups composed of similar members. Group members evaluated the desirability of positions held by three candidates for student body president before and after discussing the candidates in three-person groups. Results showed that the disparity in evaluations within groups decreased from pre- to post discussion for candidate positions discussed, but not for positions omitted from discussion. This effect was stronger when members were told before discussion that they were similar. These results suggest that Festinger's (1950, 1954) propositions regarding (a) pressures toward uniformity of opinion in groups and (b) greater uniformity in similar groups, also hold for members' evaluation of information related to objects of judgment in addition to judgments of the objects.

Key Words: group discussion • social comparison • social influence

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