IF IT LOOKS LIKE A DUCK...

“If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”

This phrase, originally coined by poet James Whitcomb Riley is also known as the ‘duck test’, that suggests something can be identified by its habitual characteristics.

Many times, though, we can end up not seeing the thing that is right there in front of us. This often happens when we pay too much attention to the opinions of others and fail to listen to the still, small voice of common sense in our own minds.

A good example of this is the Asch experiment, conducted by the American psychologist Solomon Asch in Swarthmore College in the 1950s.

In this experiment, a volunteer was told that he was participating in a study on visual perception and was seated at a table with five other people. The experimenter showed the group a picture of a standard line and three comparison lines of various lengths, and then asked the participants to say which of the three lines matched the comparison line.

It was clear to anyone with good vision that the third line was the right answer. But most, if not all, of the other people in the group started choosing the first line. The participant did not know that those other people were all actors (a common deception used in social psychological research) and they were instructed by Asch beforehand to intentionally give the wrong answer.

This caused the actual participant to struggle between trusting his own eyes or going along with the group. In the end, he too ended up giving the wrong answer, just to mesh with the group!

Asch repeated this experiment many times with different groups and found that people were more likely to conform to a group if they were made to feel incompetent or insecure. Conformity levels also shot up if volunteers admired the other members of their group because of their status. People conform for a lot of different reasons - respect for authority, fear of being different, fear of rejection, or simply, a desire for approval.

While it goes without saying that we should value the opinions of others who have knowledge and experience in the areas we seek wisdom in, it is equally important to listen to ourselves as well, and challenge ‘groupthink’ if needed.

Let’s have the courage to see it like it is and also tell it like it is. And let's remember, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck ... it is best not to call it anything else!

Have a great week!

Team Anahat

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