Central Tendency: Mode, Median, and Mean

Central Tendency
Mode, Median, and Mean

Measures of central
tendency help you find the
middle, or the average, of a
data set. The 3 most common Mode: the most frequent value.
measures of central tendency
are the mode, median, and
mean.
Mean: the sum of all values

Median: the middle number in
divided by the total number of
an ordered data set.
values.
In addition to central tendency,

the variability and distribution
of your data set is important to
understand when performing
descriptive statistics.
Descriptive statistics summarize and
organize characteristics of a data set. A data set
is a collection of responses or observations
from a sample or entire population.
Distributions and central tendency
A data set is a distribution of n number of scores or values.
Normal distribution
In a normal distribution, data is symmetrically distributed

with no skew. Most values cluster around a central region,
with values tapering off as they go further away from the
center. The mean, mode and median are exactly the same in a
normal distribution.
Skewed distributions
In skewed distributions, more values fall on one
side of the center than the other, and the mean,
median and mode all differ from each other. One
side has a more spread out and longer tail with
fewer scores at one end than the other. The
direction of this tail tells you the side of the skew
In a positively skewed distribution, there’s a
cluster of lower scores and a spread out tail on the
right.
In a negatively skewed distribution, there’s a
cluster of higher scores and a spread out tail on
the left.
Mode
The mode is the most frequently occurring value in the data set.
It’s possible to have no mode, one mode, or more than one mode.
To find the mode, sort your data set numerically or categorically
and select the response that occurs most frequently.
Political Example: Finding the mode
ideology Frequency In a survey, you ask 9 participants whether they identify as
conservative, moderate, or liberal.
Conservative 2 To find the mode, sort your data by category and find which
response was chosen most frequently.
Moderate 3
To make it easier, you can create a frequency table to count up the
Liberal 4 values for each category.

Mode: Liberal
When to use the mode
The mode is most applicable to data from a nominal level of measurement.

Nominal data is classified into mutually exclusive categories, so the mode tells you
the most popular category.
For continuous variables or ratio levels of measurement, the mode may not be a

helpful measure of central tendency. That’s because there are many more possible
values than there are in a nominal or ordinal level of measurement. It’s unlikely for a
value to repeat in a ratio level of measurement.
Median
 The median of a data set is the value that’s exactly in the middle when it is
ordered from low to high.
 In a larger data sets, it’s easier to use simple formulas to figure out the
position of the middle value in the distribution. You use different methods
to find the median of a data set depending on whether the total number of
values is even or odd.
Median of an odd-numbered data set
For an odd-numbered data set, find the value that lies at the (n+1)/2 position,
where n is the number of values in the data set.
The middle position is calculated using (n+1)/2, where n = 5.
(5+1)/2 = 3
That means the median is the 3rd value in your ordered data set.
Median of an even-numbered data set
For an even-numbered data set, find the two values in the middle of the data set:
the values at the n/2 and (n/2) + 1 positions. Then, find their mean.
The middle positions are calculated using n/2 and (n/2) + 1, where n = 6.
6/2 = 3
(6/2) + 1 = 4
Mean (x̄)
The arithmetic mean of a data set is the sum of all values divided by the
total number of values. It’s the most commonly used measure of central
tendency because all values are used in the calculation.
You calculate the mean using the formula ⅀x/n.

Outlier effect on the mean
Outliers can significantly increase or decrease the mean when they

are included in the calculation.
Since all values are used to calculate the mean, it can be affected
by extreme outliers.
An outlier is a value that differs significantly from the others in a

data set
Population versus sample mean
A data set contains values from a sample or a population. A population is the entire
group that you are interested in researching, while a sample is only a subset of that
population.
While data from a sample can help you make estimates about a population, only full
population data can give you the complete picture.
In statistics, the notation of a sample mean and a population mean and their formulas
are different. But the procedures for calculating the population and sample means are
the same.
The sample mean is written as M or x̄ (pronounced x-bar). For calculating
the mean of a sample, use this formula:
x̄ = ⅀x/n
x̄: sample mean
⅀x: sum of all values in the sample data set
n: number of values in the sample data set

The population mean is written as μ (Greek term mu). For calculating the
mean of a population, use this formula:
μ = ⅀ X/N
μ: population mean
⅀X: sum of all values in the population data set
N: number of values in the population data set

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Central Tendency

Mode, Median, and Mean

Mean: the sum of all values

In addition to central tendency,

A data set is a distribution of n number of scores or values.

In a normal distribution, data is symmetrically distributed

Liberal 4 values for each category.

The mode is most applicable to data from a nominal level of measurement.

For continuous variables or ratio levels of measurement, the mode may not be a

ordered from low to high.

The middle position is calculated using (n+1)/2, where n = 5.

The middle positions are calculated using n/2 and (n/2) + 1, where n = 6.

You calculate the mean using the formula ⅀x/n.

Outliers can significantly increase or decrease the mean when they

An outlier is a value that differs significantly from the others in a

x̄: sample mean

⅀x: sum of all values in the sample data set

n: number of values in the sample data set

⅀X: sum of all values in the population data set

N: number of values in the population data set

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