Definition
Plain language
Having two separate peaks — like a survey where answers cluster at two popular options and almost nowhere in between.
As stated in the literature
A distribution with two distinct modes; here, a target like "pick 1 or 5, fifty-fifty, never 2/3/4" that a collapsed model fails to reproduce.
Also called: bimodal target
Why it matters: Recognizing a bimodal pattern matters because averaging it into a single middle value hides the real split and misrepresents what people actually think.
For example, when asked how spicy they like their food, a group might split into two crowds — one for 'mild' and one for 'very hot' — with almost no one choosing the middle.
Heard on the show
“So the authored suites turn out to be bimodal.”Episode 233 — Why a Model Can Grade an Answer But Not Write the Answer Key