What is the best type of average to use?
Measures of central tendency help you find the middle, or the average, of a dataset. The 3 most common measures of central tendency are the mode, median, and mean. Show
In addition to central tendency, the variability and distribution of your dataset is important to understand when performing descriptive statistics. Table of contentsDistributions and central tendencyA dataset is a distribution of n number of scores or values. Normal distributionIn 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. Example: Normal distributionYou survey a sample in your local community on the number of books they read in the last year.A histogram of your data shows the frequency of responses for each possible number of books. From looking at the chart, you see that there is a normal distribution. The mean, median and mode are all equal; the central tendency of this dataset is 8. Skewed distributionsIn 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. In this histogram, your distribution is skewed to the right, and the central tendency of your dataset is on the lower end of possible scores. In a positively skewed distribution, mode < median < mean. In this histogram, your distribution is skewed to the left, and the central tendency of your dataset is towards the higher end of possible scores. In a negatively skewed distribution, mean < median < mode. ModeThe mode is the most frequently occurring value in the dataset. It’s possible to have no mode, one mode, or more than one mode. To find the mode, sort your dataset numerically or and select the response that occurs most frequently. Example: Finding the modeIn a survey, you ask 9 participants whether they identify as conservative, moderate, or liberal.To find the mode, sort your data by category and find which response was chosen most frequently. To make it easier, you can create a to count up the values for each category. Political ideologyFrequencyConservative2Moderate3Liberal4Mode: Liberal The mode is easily seen in a bar graph because it is the value with the highest bar.
When to use the modeThe 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. Example: Ratio data with no modeYou collect data on reaction times in a computer task, and your dataset contains values that are all different from each other.Participant123456789Reaction time (milliseconds)267345421324401312382298303In this dataset, there is no mode, because each value occurs only once. What can proofreading do for your paper?Scribbr editors not only correct grammar and spelling mistakes, but also strengthen your writing by making sure your paper is free of vague language, redundant words and awkward phrasing. See editing example MedianThe median of a dataset is the value that’s exactly in the middle when it is ordered from low to high. Example: Finding the medianYou measure the reaction times of 7 participants on a computer task and categorize them into 3 groups: slow, medium or fast.Participant1234567SpeedMediumSlowFastFastMediumFastSlowTo find the median, you first order all values from low to high. Then, you find the value in the middle of the ordered dataset—in this case, the value in the 4th position. Ordered datasetSlowSlowMediumMediumFastFastFastMedian: Medium In larger datasets, 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 dataset depending on whether the total number of values is even or odd. Median of an odd-numbered datasetFor an odd-numbered dataset, find the value that lies at the position, where n is the number of values in the dataset.ExampleYou measure the reaction times in milliseconds of 5 participants and order the dataset.Reaction time (milliseconds)287298345365380The middle position is calculated using , where n = 5.
That means the median is the 3rd value in your ordered dataset. Median: 345 milliseconds Median of an even-numbered datasetFor an even-numbered dataset, find the two values in the middle of the dataset: the values at the and positions. Then, find their mean.ExampleYou measure the reaction times of 6 participants and order the dataset.Reaction time (milliseconds)287298345357365380The middle positions are calculated using and , where n = 6.
That means the middle values are the 3rd value, which is 345, and the 4th value, which is 357. To get the median, take the mean of the 2 middle values by adding them together and dividing by 2.
Median: 351 milliseconds MeanThe arithmetic mean of a dataset (which is different from the geometric mean) 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. Example: Finding the meanParticipant12345Reaction time (milliseconds)287345365298380First you add up the sum of all values:
Then you calculate the mean using the formula
There are 5 values in the dataset, so n = 5.
Mean (x̄): 335 milliseconds Outlier effect on the meanOutliers 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 dataset. Example: Mean with an outlierIn this dataset, we swap out one value with an extreme outlier.Participant12345Reaction time (milliseconds)832345365298380
Due to the outlier, the mean ( ) becomes much higher, even though all the other numbers in the dataset stay the same.Mean: 444 milliseconds Population versus sample meanA dataset 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. Sample mean formulaThe sample mean is written as M or x̄ (pronounced x-bar). For calculating the mean of a sample, use this formula:
When should you use the mean, median or mode?The 3 main measures of central tendency are best used in combination with each other because they have complementary strengths and limitations. But sometimes only 1 or 2 of them are applicable to your dataset, depending on the level of measurement of the variable.
To decide which measures of central tendency to use, you should also consider the distribution of your dataset. For normally distributed data, all three measures of central tendency will give you the same answer so they can all be used. In skewed distributions, the median is the best measure because it is unaffected by extreme outliers or non-symmetric distributions of scores. The mean and mode can vary in skewed distributions. Frequently asked questions about central tendencyWhat are measures of central tendency? Measures of central tendency help you find the middle, or the average, of a data set. The 3 most common measures of central tendency are the mean, median and mode.
Which measures of central tendency can I use? The measures of central tendency you can use depends on the level of measurement of your data.
What’s the best measure of central tendency to use? The mean is the most frequently used measure of central tendency because it uses all values in the data set to give you an average. For data from skewed distributions, the median is better than the mean because it isn’t influenced by extremely large values. The mode is the only measure you can use for nominal or categorical data that can’t be ordered. Cite this Scribbr articleIf you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
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