在备考托福的过程中，考生需要适时掌握一些新托福词汇，作为托福备考的扩展内容。都说集体的力量大，这句话放在很多场合还真的很适用。所以，社会心理学就有了“群体极化(group polarization)”这样一个名词。

　　In social psychology, group polarization refers to the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members. These more extreme decisions are towards greater risk if individuals’ initial tendencies are to be risky and towards greater caution if individuals’ initial tendencies are to be cautious. The phenomenon also holds that a group’s attitude toward a situation may change in the sense that the individuals’ initial attitudes have strengthened and intensified after group discussion.

　　在社会心理学中，群体极化(group polarization)指群体所作的决定一般都比其成员最初的意向更加极端。如果个人最初的意向是要冒险的话，那么群体的决定会更加冒险;而如果个人最初的想法趋于谨慎的话，那么群体的决策会更加谨慎。这种现象也说明群体态度的变化趋势是个人最初态度经过集体讨论后被强化的表现。

　　The phenomenon has shown that after participating in a discussion group, members tend to advocate more extreme positions and call for riskier courses of action than individuals who did not participate in any such discussion.

　　这个现象表明，与那些没有参与任何群体的人相比，群体内的成员倾向于采取更加极端和冒险的行为方式和立场。