Measures of Central Tendency

The measures of central tendency allow researchers to determine the typical numerical point in a set of data. The data points of any sample are distributed on a range from lowest value to the highest value. Measures of central tendency tell researchers where the center value lies in the distribution of data. It is common to hear people describe measures of central tendency as “the average” score or point in a particular group because it describes what is typical, normal, usual, or representative. Although from a statistical perspective “the average” refers to the arithmetic mean, the concept of “average” is an easy way to think about what measures of central tendency say about data. There are several measures of central tendency each with ...