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  1. Introduction
  2. Graphing Distributions

  3. Summarizing Distributions
    1. Contents
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    2. Central Tendency
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    3. What is Central Tendency
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    4. Measures of Central Tendency
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    5. Balance Scale Simulation
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    6. Absolute Differences Simulation
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    7. Squared Differences Simulation
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    8. Median and Mean
      Standard         Video
    9. Mean and Median Demo
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    10. Additional Measures
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    11. Comparing Measures
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    12. Variability
      Standard         Video
    13. Measures of Variability
      Standard         Video
    14. Variability Demo
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    15. Estimating Variance Simulation
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    16. Shapes of Distributions
      Standard         Video
    17. Comparing Distributions Demo
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    18. Effects of Linear Transformations
      Standard         Video
    19. Variance Sum Law I
      Standard         Video
    20. Statistical Literacy
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    21. Exercises
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  4. Describing Bivariate Data
  5. Probability
  6. Research Design
  7. Normal Distribution
  8. Advanced Graphs
  9. Sampling Distributions
  10. Estimation
  11. Logic of Hypothesis Testing
  12. Tests of Means
  13. Power
  14. Regression
  15. Analysis of Variance
  16. Transformations
  17. Chi Square
  18. Distribution Free Tests
  19. Effect Size
  20. Case Studies
  21. Calculators
  22. Glossary
 

Central Tendency

Author(s)

David M. Lane

Prerequisites

none
  1. What is Central Tendency
  2. Measures of Central Tendency
  3. Balance Scale Simulation
  4. Absolute Difference Simulation
  5. Squared Differences Simulation
  6. Mean and Median
  7. Mean and Median Simulation
  8. Additional Measures
  9. Comparing measures

Central tendency is a loosely defined concept that has to do with the location of the center of a distribution. The section "What is Central Tendency" presents three definitions of the center of a distribution. "Measures of Central Tendency" presents the three most common measures of the center of the distribution. The three simulations that follow relate the definitions of the center of a distribution to the commonly used measures of central tendency. The findings from these simulations are summarized in the section "Mean and Median." The "Mean and Median" allows you to explore how the relative size of the mean and the median depends on the skew of the distribution.

Less frequently used measures of central tendency can be valuable supplements to the more commonly used measures. Some of these measures are presented in "Additional Measures." Finally, the last section compares and summarizes differences among measures of central tendency.