Understanding Group Polarization

In a social psychology experiment, researchers sought to understand how group dynamics influence individual decision-making. Participants were asked to join a group discussion about the importance of environmental conservation. As discussions unfolded, some individuals began to express increasingly extreme views that aligned with the majority’s perspective, leading to a significant shift in their own opinions. This phenomenon can illustrate a key concept in social psychology.

Which social psychological concept best explains the observed behavior of individuals becoming more extreme in their views after discussions in a group?