ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Serape effect

Think of a serape like a colorful blanket that people wear over their shoulders in certain parts of the world.

The serape effect happens when scientists or researchers are studying a group of people but they group them all together as if they are the same. Imagine if someone said “all people who wear serapes are the same” without looking at any differences between them. That wouldn't be fair, right?

It's the same with groups of people that scientists study. They might put all people of a certain race or ethnicity in one group and study them together. But this is not fair either because each person is unique with their own experiences, beliefs, and behaviors. It's important to look at their individual differences instead of just grouping them together based on their physical characteristics.

So, the serape effect is when scientists don't take into account the individual differences within a group of people and just group them together based on something like their race or ethnicity. We should always strive to understand and respect each person as an individual with their own story to tell.