Choice shift and group polarization

I extend the theoretical domain of sociology into an area of social psychol ogy that heretofore has been the exclusive domain of psychologists. Specifi cally, I develop a social structural perspective on the choice shifts make within groups. During interpersonal discussions of issues, choice shifts oc cur when there is a difference between group members' mean final opinion an d their mean initial opinion. Explanations of choice shifts have emphasized group-level conditions (e.g., a norm, a decision rule, a pool of persuasiv e arguments, a distribution of initial opinions). I argue that choice shift s are a ubiquitous product of the inequalities of interpersonal influence t hat emerge during discussions of issues. Hence, I bring choice shifts squar ely into the domain of a structural social psychology that attends to the c omposition of networks of interpersonal influence and into broader sociolog ical perspectives concerned with the formation of status structures.