The Importance of Forgiveness

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Variability within groups can reveal important differences that averages conceal.

The show "Fauda" illustrates how people can resist assumptions based on identity or group membership.

People may share an identity or history while responding to it in profoundly different ways.

Outliers can challenge assumptions and sometimes point toward the next scientific discovery.

When I ran a first-ever study at Harvard that brought together descendants of Holocaust survivors and Nazi perpetrators for an organized dialogue, I was struck not only by the statistical findings, but by what the findings made me realize about the relationship between groups and individuals.

I reported the findings in my book Justice Matters: Legacies of the Holocaust and World War II. The study examined how the participants interacted using the statistical method lag sequential analysis to pinpoint average patterns in their verbal exchanges. One finding was that participants on both sides, although in different ways, felt like victims.

I remember discussing the findings with my mentor, Brendan Maher, who reminded me to look carefully at the variability within each group, rather than focusing only on the average statistical findings. Who did not fit the average? What did the outliers look like? Were there qualities that separated people who responded differently? His nudge stayed with me.

Looking for variability

I’ve spent decades teaching research methods, so I knew the importance of variability. But seeing this principle emerge from research involving people having a conversation was eye-opening. When we study human behavior, we often begin with a group. We compare groups, calculate averages, look for statistical patterns, and ask whether differences are meaningful. But there is another question statistics alone cannot answer and that is: What does this finding mean for this particular person?

The average is not the person. A statistical average summarizes a group. It does not describe every individual within that group. The average can tell us what is typical. By contrast, variability can tell us how typical it really is. The problem occurs when a statistical description of a group becomes a prediction about an individual.

Where do I fit within the distribution?

Our histories, experiences, personalities, and choices contribute to........

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