Who discovered the process of ‘groupthink’ which is characterised by the appearance of consensus within a group?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Irving Janis
Irving Janis suggested that cohesion can interfere with good leadership and lead to disastrous decisions. He discovered groupthink, in which a group’s concern for unanimity overrides a realistic look at the choices. It is marked by the appearance of consensus: each member believes all the others agree, and no one dissents for fear of breaking the group’s cohesion.
The others are names of neighbouring group studies: Tajfel ran the minimal group experiments on ingroup and outgroup; Kelman distinguished three forms of social influence, compliance, identification and internalisation; and M. Sherif carried out pioneering experiments on conformity using the autokinetic effect.
Note 1: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 29-05-2026 (Slot 2) and 31-05-2026 (Slot 1).
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2025 on 22-05-2025 (Slot 1).
NCERT: Psychology — Chapter 7: Social Influence and Group Processes, Box 7.1 (2025-26)
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