Running Head: THE POWER OF NUMBERS

The Power of Numbers

Marek Sokal
The University of Winnipeg

THE POWER OF NUMBERS

The Power of Numbers

As humans we are uncomfortable with the idea that we do not have
free will, however there is a strong desire to belong to a group, possibly
strong enough to change our decisions. Studies performed by Solomon E
Asch (1955) described in the article, Opinions and Social Pressure,
demonstrated that our very own opinions can be largely based on our social
environment. In some ways the choices of others plays a role in our decision
making.
The experiment Asch (1955) had performed to obtain the data was
fairly straight forward. A single subject was presented a card with a single
vertical line. The researcher then showed a second card with three vertical
lines, one equal in length to the first vertical line on the first card. The other
two were noticeably different in length. The subject was to announce which
line he believed matched the one on the first card (Asch, 1955, p. 3).
When the subject did the test alone, he [would] make mistakes less
than 1 per cent of the time (Asch, 1955, p. 3). The interesting part of the
study was when the researchers changed the environment by bringing in a
group of seven to nine young men (Asch, 1955, p. 3), and some eloquent
deception.
What the dissenter does not know is that all the other members of the
group were instructed by the experimenter beforehand to give
incorrect answers in unanimity at certain points. The single individual

THE POWER OF NUMBERS

who was not a party to this prearrangement is the focal subject. (Asch,
1955, p. 3)
The results showed the minority subject changed their decision to an
incorrect response, joining the majority, 36.8 per cent of the time (Asch,
1955, p. 3-4). Of course individuals differed in response. . . . [A]bout one
quarter of the subjects . . . never agreed with the erroneous judgments of the
majority (Asch, 1955, p. 4). In contrast, [a]t the other extreme, some
individuals went with the majority nearly all the time (Asch, 1955, p. 4).
Among the independent individuals were many who held fast because
of a staunch confidence in their own judgment (Asch, 1955, p. 4). A
characteristic among these subjects was [the] capacity to recover from
doubt and to reestablish their equilibrium (Asch, 1955, p. 4). However some
of these independent subjects genuinely [believed] that the majority was
correct (Asch, 1955, p. 4), but retained their original response simply
because they felt [obligated] to call the play as they saw it (Asch, 1955, p.
4).
Conversely, [the researchers] found a group who quickly reached the
conclusion: I am wrong, they are right. Others yielded in order not to spoil
[the] results (Asch, 1955, p. 4). Asch (1955) explains the group that was
extremely yielding to the majority could not accurately estimate their
frequency of conformity (p. 4), almost as if they did not have free choice;
their choice was made for them.
The study provides clear answers . . . and it raises many others
(Asch, 1955, p. 5). It also leaves some room for unknown variables such as:

THE POWER OF NUMBERS

age, gender, and socioeconomic status. However the findings are certainly
strong enough to show social pressure can distort our judgment, for better or
worse.

THE POWER OF NUMBERS

References
Asch, S. E. (1955). Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, 193 (5),
31-5.