Descriptive statistics

• What do descriptive statistics express?

  Numbers that show overall patterns
• What does the range represent in descriptive statistics?

  It represents the spread of data
• How do you calculate the range of a data set?

  Subtract the lowest score from the highest
• What is a strength of using the range in statistics?

  It is easy to calculate
• What is a weakness of using the range in statistics?

  It can be distorted by extreme scores
• What is the mean in descriptive statistics?

  The mathematical average of scores
• How do you calculate the mean of a data set?

  Add all scores and divide by the number
• What is a strength of the mean as a measure?

  It uses all data, making it sensitive
• What is a weakness of the mean?

  It can be distorted by extreme scores
• What is the median in a data set?

  The middle value of ordered data
• How do you find the median of a data set?

  Order numbers and identify the middle
• What is a strength of the median?

  It is not affected by extreme scores
• What is a weakness of the median?

  It is less reflective of the typical value
• What is the mode in a data set?

  The most common score in the data
• What is a strength of the mode?

  It is very easy to calculate
• What is a weakness of the mode?

  It can be unrepresentative of overall scores