Question 12·Hard·Command of Evidence
In a study of group decision-making, sociologists asked participants to answer simple questions after hearing answers given aloud by a group of other people in the room. In each trial, the group intentionally gave an incorrect answer. The researchers concluded that adding more people to the group generally increased participants’ likelihood of agreeing with the incorrect majority, but that this effect weakened once the group reached about 6 people.
Which choice best describes data from the graph that support the researchers’ conclusion?
For graph-based command-of-evidence questions, restate the claim and identify any qualifier (here, that the effect weakens after about 6 people). Then compare the size of the increases (slopes/differences) before and after the threshold, eliminating options that claim the changes are equal, reverse which interval is largest, or overstate the trend (for example, “no longer affects”).
Hints
Track the two parts of the claim
You need evidence that conformity increases with group size and evidence that the increases get smaller once the group is around 6 people.
Focus on differences between points
Instead of just reading the conformity rates, compare how much the rate changes from 2→6 versus from 6→8.
Watch for overstatements
If a choice claims the effect becomes exactly constant or stops completely, make sure the graph truly shows no increase at all.
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate the researchers’ conclusion
The conclusion has two parts:
- As group size increases, conformity generally increases.
- After the group reaches about 6 people, the additional increase becomes smaller (the effect weakens).
Use the graph to compare the change before and after 6
From 2 to 6 people, conformity rises from about 18% to about 53% (an increase of about 35 percentage points).
From 6 to 8 people, conformity rises from about 53% to about 55% (an increase of about 2 percentage points).
Select the choice that states that pattern
The option that matches a large increase up to about 6 and a much smaller increase after 6 is:
Correct answer: Conformity rises about 35 points from 2 to 6 people but only about 2 points from 6 to 8, showing the effect weakens after about 6 people.