Referent informational influence and group polarization.

An empirical test of the referent informational influence analysis of group polarization is reported. Referent informational influence theory explains group polarization as conformity, through self-categorization, to a local in-group norm which is polarized as a result of the in-group being located towards an extreme of the salient comparative context or social frame of reference. The experiment adopted a modified form of the risky shift paradigm, in which subjects were identified as risky or cautious individuals or groups for the purpose of four-person group discussions of risky and cautious choice dilemmas. The most important finding was that, while risky groups shifted towards risk and cautious groups towards caution, risky and cautious individuals showed no shift or actually shifted in the opposite direction from their label. These results are interpreted as providing evidence favouring referent informational influence theory over the persuasive arguments and social comparison/cultural values theories.