On lumping and splitting
charukesi June 16th, 2005
Was reading this line from Bill Bryson’s Short History …whether you are a lumper or a splitter, as they say in the biological world…. Any taxonomer can be either a lumper or a splitter.
Right, that is the difference between quantitative research and qualitative research.
Quantitative research lumps - studies large groups and identifies patterns across these groups - the smaller niggling inconsistencies and dissenting voices are pushed under the carpet - they may not be statistically significant (to use this term very loosely). Think of this in terms of a simple majority vote - what about the ‘minority’ that did not vote for the issue?
Qualitative research - is about splitting - qualitative research digs out similarities across groups (or audience segments) and keeps a keen eye open for differences within a group / segment - the lone dissenting voice - which often may go contrary to what the ‘lumped’ data suggests - but may be more significant than anything that the numbers signify - as marketer after disbelieving marketer has found out…
But this is not one of those age-old arguments about which methodology is better - I for one believe, methods is as methods does - but the debate will go on…
Here is another take -
a splitter is an individual who might spend hours pondering whether a glass is half empty or half full with water.
a lumper is an individual who observes a glass which is either half empty or half full with water, and declares that it is a glass of water.