Hofmann, W., & Windschitl, P. D. (in press). Judging a group from sampling members: How the subdivision of a minority affects its perceived size and influence. Journal of Social Psychology.

A frequency sampling paradigm was used 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 members of a hypothetical committee held about a controversial proposal. The minority members holding "against" opinions were either described as belonging to the same group (the single-entity condition) or as belonging to 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 decision outcome.