The tendency of members in a highly cohensive group to lose critical evaluative decision making capabilities is called

The correct answer is A) Group think. The term was coined by Irving Janis (1972) to describe how a highly cohesive group, in its eagerness to keep harmony, stops testing ideas critically. Janis linked it to symptoms such as an illusion of invulnerability, self-censorship, pressure on dissenters, and a false sense of unanimity. The Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) is his standard case.

• B) Assertiveness is a communication trait, the ability to state your views firmly and respectfully. It is a remedy for groupthink, not a name for it.
• C) Group polarization means that after discussion, a group's average view moves toward a more extreme position than the members held individually. The problem here is extremity of view, not loss of evaluative capacity.
• D) Cognitive dissonance, from Festinger (1957), is the discomfort a single person feels when beliefs or actions conflict. It is an individual phenomenon, not a group one.

The concept links to GS-IV, where decision-making in committees, cabinets and bureaucratic teams is discussed. Strong teams need dissent, devil's advocacy and independent scrutiny.

Trap: Aspirants confuse group polarization with groupthink because both happen in groups. Ask whether the question is about extreme views (polarization) or about the loss of critical evaluation caused by cohesion (groupthink).