Key Terms

Average summated score – calculating the summated score and then dividing it by the
number of variables.
Bar chart – a chart that shows data in the form of bars that can be displayed either
horizontally or vertically.
Data transformation – the process of inspecting data for completeness and consistency.
Data warehouses – store and catalog company information in an electronic format.
Editing – inspecting data for completeness and consistency.
Frequency distribution – examines data one variable at a time and provides counts of the
different responses for the various values of the variable.
Histogram – represents a vertical display of a distribution of responses.
Kurtosis – a measure of a distribution’s peakedness (or flatness).
Manipulation check – after respondents have answered the questions they are asked to
comment on the levels of variables.
Mean – the arithmetic average, and is one of the most commonly used measures of central
tendency.
Measures of central tendency – locate the center of the distribution as well as other useful
information.
Measures of dispersion – describe the tendency for sample responses to depart from central
tendency.
Median – a measure of central tendency, it is the value that is in the middle of the distribution.
Missing data – blank responses because of data collection or data entry problems.
Mode – the measure of central tendency that identifies the value that occurs most often in the
sample distribution.
Normal distribution – symmetrical, bell shaped and almost all (99%) of its values are within
plus/minus three standard deviations from its mean; describes the expected distribution
of sample means as well as many other chance occurrences.
Pie chart – displays relative proportions of survey responses.
Range – the spread of the responses and is the distance between the largest and the smallest
values of a sample frequency distribution; simplest measure of dispersion.
Skewness – measures the departure from a symmetrical (or balanced) distribution.
Standard deviation – describes the spread or variability of the sample distribution values
from the mean. It is the square root of the variance and is the most valuable index of
dispersion.
Standard error – the standard deviation of the individual values of the sample divided by the
square root of the sample size.
Standard error of the mean – the standard deviation of the distribution of sample means
drawn from the same population.
Standard normal distribution – special type of normal curve that has a mean of 0 and a
standard deviation of 1.
Summated score – the sum of values of individual variables making up a measure of a
construct.
Variance – a measure of the variation or dispersion of the data and is calculated by squaring
the deviations scores (i.e., how far away a respondent is from the means) and then
calculating the average.