A Group of Public Officials Is Meeting to Decide What

question 71

Multiple Choice

A group of public officials is meeting to decide what to do about a budget shortage. The principle of group polarization would predict that this group of people would be most likely to reach a highly conservative decision if

• A)the group has a relatively small number of people in it (4 to 5)
• B)the group members believe that their individual performance within the group is being monitored
• C)the group members are generally conservative to begin with
• D)the group has an authority figure who is perceived to be legitimate

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Definitions:

Milgram Experiment

A psychological experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s to study obedience to authority, where participants were instructed to administer electric shocks to another person.

Stanford University Prison Experiment

A psychological study conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1971 at Stanford University, where students were assigned roles of prisoners and guards to explore the effects of perceived power.

Generalization

Drawing a conclusion about a certain characteristic of a population based on a sample from it.

Logical Support

The provision of reasons or evidence to justify a claim or argument.