Judging a group by sampling members: how the subdivision of a minority affects its perceived size and influence

The authors used a frequency sampling paradigm to investigate how perceptions of a minority group's size and influence are affected by the manner in which the subgroup structure of the minority is presented. Participants in two experiments read sequentially sampled opinions that hypothetical members of a committee supposedly held about a controversial proposal. The minority members holding "against" opinions were described as belonging either to one homogenous group (the single-entity condition) or to one of three subgroups (the multiple-subgroups condition). Although the numbers of "for" and "against" opinions were held constant, predictable biases emerged in participants' frequency reports. Consistent with an information loss account, the minority was viewed as larger in the multiple-subgroups condition than in the single-entity condition. The manipulation also affected the perceived social influence of the minority on the committee's final decision about the proposal.