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    Chapter 4

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    Rawlinson
    This chapter discusses measures of central tendency including the mode, median, and mean. The mode is the most frequently occurring value. The median divides the data in half. The mean is the average, calculated by summing all values and dividing by the total count. Different measures are more appropriate depending on the variable type and distribution shape. The mode is used for nominal variables while the median provides more information than the mode for ordinal variables. For interval/ratio variables, the mean is most informative for symmetrical distributions but the median is preferred for skewed distributions.

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    Chapter 4

    Uploaded by

    Rawlinson
    187 views19 pages
    This chapter discusses measures of central tendency including the mode, median, and mean. The mode is the most frequently occurring value. The median divides the data in half. The mean is the average, calculated by summing all values and dividing by the total count. Different measures are more appropriate depending on the variable type and distribution shape. The mode is used for nominal variables while the median provides more information than the mode for ordinal variables. For interval/ratio variables, the mean is most informative for symmetrical distributions but the median is preferred for skewed distributions.

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    This chapter discusses measures of central tendency including the mode, median, and mean. The mode is the most frequently occurring value. The median divides the data in half. The mean is the average, calculated by summing all values and dividing by the total count. Different measures are more appropriate depending on the variable type and distribution shape. The mode is used for nominal variables while the median provides more information than the mode for ordinal variables. For interval/ratio variables, the mean is most informative for symmetrical distributions but the median is preferred for skewed distributions.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    187 views19 pages

    Chapter 4

    Uploaded by

    Rawlinson
    This chapter discusses measures of central tendency including the mode, median, and mean. The mode is the most frequently occurring value. The median divides the data in half. The mean is the average, calculated by summing all values and dividing by the total count. Different measures are more appropriate depending on the variable type and distribution shape. The mode is used for nominal variables while the median provides more information than the mode for ordinal variables. For interval/ratio variables, the mean is most informative for symmetrical distributions but the median is preferred for skewed distributions.

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    Chapter 4:

    Measures of Central Tendency


    What is a measure of central tendency?
    Measures of Central Tendency
    Mode
    Median
    Mean
    Shape of the Distribution
    Considerations for Choosing an Appropriate
    Measure of Central Tendency

    Chapter 4 1
    What is a measure of Central
    Tendency?

    Numbers that describe what is average or


    typical of the distribution

    You can think of this value as where the


    middle of a distribution lies.

    Chapter 4 2
    The Mode

    The category or score with the largest


    frequency (or percentage) in the
    distribution.

    The mode can be calculated for variables


    with levels of measurement that are:
    nominal, ordinal, or interval-ratio.

    Chapter 4 3
    The Mode: An Example
    Example: Number of Votes for Candidates for
    Mayor. The mode, in this case, gives you the
    central response of the voters: the most
    popular candidate.
    Candidate A 11,769 votes The Mode:
    Candidate B 39,443 votes Candidate C
    Candidate C 78,331 votes

    Chapter 4 4
    The Median

    The score that divides the distribution


    into two equal parts, so that half the cases
    are above it and half below it.

    The median is the middle score, or


    average of middle scores in a
    distribution.

    Chapter 4 5
    Median Exercise #1 (N is odd)
    Calculate the median for this hypothetical distribution:
    Job Satisfaction Frequency
    Very High 2
    High 3
    Moderate 5
    Low 7
    Very Low 4

    TOTAL 21

    Chapter 4 6
    Median Exercise #2 (N is even)
    Calculate the median for this hypothetical distribution:
    Satisfaction with Health Frequency
    Very High 5
    High 7
    Moderate 6
    Low 7
    Very Low 3

    TOTAL 28

    Chapter 4 7
    Finding the Median in
    Grouped Data

    N (.5) Cf
    Median L w
    f

    Chapter 4 8
    Percentiles
    A score below which a specific percentage of
    the distribution falls.
    Finding percentiles in grouped data:

    N (.25) Cf
    25% L w
    f

    Chapter 4 9
    The Mean

    The arithmetic average obtained by


    adding up all the scores and dividing by
    the total number of scores.

    Chapter 4 10
    Formula for the Mean

    Y
    Y
    N
    Y bar equals the sum of all the scores, Y, divided by
    the number of scores, N.

    Chapter 4 11
    Calculating the mean with
    grouped scores

    fY
    Y
    N
    where: f Y = a score multiplied by its frequency

    Chapter 4 12
    Mean: Grouped Scores

    Chapter 4 13
    Mean: Grouped Scores

    Chapter 4 14
    Grouped Data: the Mean & Median
    Calculate the median and mean for the grouped
    frequency below.

    Number of People Age 18 or older living in a U.S. Household in


    1996 (GSS 1996)

    Number of People Frequency


    1 190
    2 316
    3 54
    4 17
    5 2
    6 2
    TOTAL 581

    Chapter 4 15
    Shape of the Distribution
    Symmetrical (mean is about equal to median)
    Skewed
    Negatively (example: years of education)
    mean < median
    Positively (example: income)
    mean > median
    Bimodal (two distinct modes)
    Multi-modal (more than 2 distinct modes)

    Chapter 4 16
    Distribution Shape

    Chapter 4 17
    Considerations for Choosing a
    Measure of Central Tendency
    For a nominal variable, the mode is the only
    measure that can be used.
    For ordinal variables, the mode and the median
    may be used. The median provides more
    information (taking into account the ranking of
    categories.)
    For interval-ratio variables, the mode, median, and
    mean may all be calculated. The mean provides
    the most information about the distribution, but
    the median is preferred if the distribution is
    skewed.

    Chapter 4 18
    Central Tendency

    Chapter 4 19

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