Betrayed by averaging: invalid inferences when nobody is 'average'

One of the essential goals of psychology is generalization: describing ways in which people are similar. Of course, human behaviour varies across situations, times, and individuals, and hence often defies generalization. Ignoring this variability and assuming that people are the same can lead to improper generalizations about human behaviour. A recent article describes instances where previous research in decision making has ignored individual differences and thus made inappropriate inferences.
Source: Psychonomic Society News - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: news