Which measure of central tendency is appropriate if the shape of the distribution is symmetrical and the measurement scale is interval or ratio?
A)the mode
B)the median
C)the mean
D)the deviation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mean is the best choice for a symmetrical distribution on an interval or ratio scale because it takes into account all the values in the dataset and is affected by each of them equally. The median and mode may be affected by outliers or heavily skewed data, whereas the mean is relatively robust to these effects. The deviation is not a measure of central tendency and does not provide information about the location of the center of the distribution.

Which Measure of Central Tendency Is Appropriate If the Shape