Module 4

Measures of Dispersion/
Variability

PSY 002
PSYCHOLOGICAL STATISTICS

This is your 4th module!

This module is a combination of

synchronous & asynchronous learning
and will last for one week

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND

SCIENCES C

GINA T. MONTALLA
Instructor

Gina T. Montalla SMMC

ginatmontalla@gmail.com

09176147214

March 14, 2022

Date Initiated
San Mateo Municipal College March 19, 2022
Gen. Luna St. Guitnang Bayan I, San Mateo, Rizal Date of Completion
Tel. No. (02) 997-9070
www.smmc.edu.ph
 SAN MATEO MUNICIPAL COLLEGE (PSY 002) PSYCHOLOGICAL STATISTICS
General Luna St., Guitnangbayan I, San Mateo, Rizal MRS. GINA T. MONTALLA
Tel. No. (02) 997-9070

MODULE 4:
MEASURES OF DISPERSION/
VARIABILITY

MODULE SCHEDULE:
Synchronous Meeting: 3hrs/ week
Asynchronous Meeting: 2hrs. /week

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After completing this module, you should be able to:
1. compare the form (textual, tabular, and graphical) of data;
2. Identify the essential parts of a table and describe the different kinds of graphs for data
presentation;
3. draw the graph/table to present the data; and
4. analyze and interpret the data presented in a graph/table

INPUT INFORMATION
Measure of Variability/ Dispersion
Measure of variability or dispersion are measures of the average distance of each observation from the
center of the distribution. They measure the homogeneity or heterogeneity of a particular group.
A measure of dispersion tells the relative scatter of scores or observations, whether it is over a wide region
or within a narrow neighborhood.
A small measure of variability would indicate that the data are:
o Clustered closely around the mean
o More homogeneous
o Less variable
o More consistent
o More uniformly distributed

Consider the following sets of grades in Mathematics of two groups of 5 students:

Male Group Female Group
Juan: 70 Juana: 82
Mario: 95 Maria: 80
Antonio: 60 Antonia: 83
Pedro: 80 Petra: 81
Jose: 100 Jesusa: 79
Mean : 81 Mean: 81

➢ The mean grade of both group is 81. By just looking at their mean grade, we can only conclude that both groups
performed equally well in the said test, but this does not explain how far apart the grades are from one another.
Let us picture the position of each grade in the number line

MALES

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Tel. No. (02) 997-9070

FEMALES

Notice that the grades of the males are far apart from each other, while the grades of the females are more
compressed or clustered together. Thus, the measure of the center of the distribution is of little help in
describing and comparing these two sets of data. By getting the average distance of each item from the center
of the distribution, the group can be described more completely and

Range (R)
The range, is the simplest measure of variability but the most
unreliable measure of variability since it uses only two values in the
distribution. The range is the difference between the highest and the
lowest scores/values/ observation in a distribution.
R =XH - XL
Because of the simplicity to calculate, the range has the following
DISADVANTAGES:
o For a very large sample, it is an unstable descriptive
measure of dispersion
o Since only two values are used in the computation, the
range is an unreliable measure of dispersion.
o The range of two sets of data composed of different numbers of samples are not directly comparable.

EXAMPLE:
Find the range of the grades in Math of the two groups in the previous example
Male: 70 95 60 80 100 R = XH - XL R = 100 – 60 = 40
Female: 82 80 83 81 79 R = XH - XL R = 83 – 79 = 4

QUARTILE DEVIATION (Q)/SEMI- INTERQUARTILE RANGE

The quartile deviation (Q), or the semi- interquartile range, is a
measure that indicates dispersion within the middle 50% of the
distribution. The quartile deviation is the most appropriate measure
of dispersion when the measure of central tendency is the MEDIAN
𝑸𝟑 − 𝑸𝟏
Q=
𝟐
EXAMPLE 1:
Calculate the quartile deviation for the following IQ scores of 20
students:
87 90 95 96 97 98 98 99 100 100 100 100 101 101102 102 102 103
107 110

1(20+1)
Q1 = = 5.25th term 5th term = 97
4
6th term = 98
Remainder = 0.25
Q1 = 5th term + (6th term – 5th term) (remainder)
Q1 = 97 + (98 – 97) (0.25)
Q1 = 97.25

3(20+1)
Q3 = 4
= 15.75th term 15th term = 102
16th term = 102
Remainder = 0.75
Q3 = 15th term + (16th term – 15th term) (remainder)
Q3 = 102 + (102 – 102) (0.75)
Q3 = 102
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General Luna St., Guitnangbayan I, San Mateo, Rizal MRS. GINA T. MONTALLA
Tel. No. (02) 997-9070

102−97.25
∴Q=
2
Q = 2.38

Example 2: Find the quartile deviation in the given distribution

Class Interval Frequency < cf

(ci) (f)
45 - 50 4 50
39 - 44 7 46
33 – 38 8 39 This is the Q3 class

27 – 32 11 31
21 – 26 4 20
15 – 20 8 16 This is the Q1 class

9 – 14 7 8
3–8 1 1
c=6 n = 50

➢ To find Q1 class
1 (𝑛) 1(50)
Q1 class = 4 = 4 = 12.5, look for it in the < cf, if none, get the next higher < cf
Q1 class interval = 15 – 20 lb = 14.5 < cf-1 = 8 fQ1 = 8 c=6
𝒏
− <𝒄𝒇−𝟏 𝟏𝟐.𝟓−𝟖
Q1 = lb + (𝟒 𝒇𝑸 𝟏
)c = 14.5 + ( 𝟖
)6
Q1 = 17.88

➢ To find Q3 class
3 (𝑛) 3(50)
Q3 class = 4 = 4 = 37.5, Look for it in the < cf, if none, get the next higher < cf
Q3 class interval = 33 - 38 lb =32.5 < cf-1 = 31 fQ3 =8 c=6
𝟑𝒏
− <𝒄𝒇−𝟏 𝟑𝟕.𝟓−𝟑𝟏
Q3 = lb + ( 𝟒 𝒇𝑸𝟑
)c = 32.5 + ( 𝟖
)𝟔
Q3 = 37.38

𝟑𝟕.𝟑𝟖−𝟏𝟕.𝟖𝟖
➢ Q=
𝟐

Q = 9.75
This means that within the middle 50% of the distribution, the average dispersion is 9.75 or approximately 10.

STANDARD DEVIATION (s)

The standard deviation is considered to be the most reliable measure of
dispersion. The standard deviation is the measure of variability which takes
into account the difference of every score in a distribution from the mean of
the distribution. Denoted by s, the standard deviation is defined by the formula
̅)𝟐
∑(𝒙− 𝒙
s=√
𝒏

Example 1: Calculate the standard deviation of the ungrouped

data below:
15 28 25 19 20 23

Step 1: Calculate the mean of the distribution

15+28+25+19 +20+23 130
𝑥̅ = = =
∑𝑥
= 21.67
𝑛 6 6
𝑥̅= 21.67

Step 2: Complete the table

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Tel. No. (02) 997-9070

x (x - 𝑥̅ ) (𝒙 − 𝑥̅ )𝟐

15 -6.67 44.49

28 6.33 40.06

25 3.33 11.09

19 -2.67 7.13

20 -1.67 2.79

23 1.33 1.77

𝑥̅ = 21.67 (𝑥̅ − 𝑥̅)2 = 107.33

Step 3: Substitute the formula

̅)𝟐
∑(𝒙− 𝒙
s=√
𝒏
𝟏𝟎𝟕.𝟑𝟑
=√
𝟔
s = 4.23
Example 2. Given the frequency distribution table for the scores of 50 students in Statistics. (Grouped data)
Two formulas can be used:
o The Classmark Formula
o The Coded formula

➢ The Classmark Formula/Midpoint Formula

∑ 𝒇𝑿𝒎 ̅)𝟐
∑ 𝒇(𝑿𝒎 − 𝒙
𝑥̅ = s=√
𝒏 𝒏

Table 1. 0
Frequency Distribution table for the Scores of 50 Students in Statistics

Class Frequency Class Mark f Xm (𝑿𝒎 − 𝒙) (𝑿𝒎 − 𝒙) 𝟐 𝒇(𝑿𝒎 − 𝒙) 𝟐

Interval (f) / Midpoint
(ci) (Xm)
45 - 50 4 47.5 190 19.32 373.26 1493.04
39 - 44 7 41.5 290.5 13.32 177.42 1241.94
33 – 38 8 35.5 284 7.32 53.58 428.64
27 – 32 11 29.5 324.5 1.32 1.74 19.14
21 – 26 4 23.5 94 -4.68 21.90 87.60
15 – 20 8 17.5 140 -10.68 114.06 912.48
9 – 14 7 11.5 80.5 -16.68 278.22 1947.54
3–8 1 5.5 5.5 -22.68 514.38 514.38
2
c=6 n = 50 𝒙 = 28.18 𝑓𝑋𝑚 =1409 𝑓 (𝑋𝑚 − 𝑥̅)
=6644.76
∑ 𝒇𝑿𝒎 𝟏𝟒𝟎𝟗 ̅)𝟐
∑ 𝒇(𝑿𝒎 − 𝒙 𝟔𝟔𝟒𝟒.𝟕𝟔
𝑥̅ = = = 28.18 s=√ = =√ = 11.53
𝒏 𝟓𝟎 𝒏 𝟓𝟎

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Tel. No. (02) 997-9070

➢ The Coded Formula/Class Deviation Formula

𝒄 √𝒏 ∑ 𝒇𝒅𝟐 − (∑ 𝒇𝒅)𝟐
s= 𝒏
Class Interval Frequency Deviation fd fd2
(ci) (f) (d)
45 - 50 4 3 12 36
39 - 44 7 2 14 28
33 – 38 8 1 8 8
27 – 32 11 0 0 0
21 – 26 4 -1 -4 4
15 – 20 8 -2 -16 32
9 – 14 7 -3 -21 63
3–8 1 -4 -4 16
c=6 n = 50 ∑ 𝒇𝒅=-11 ∑ 𝒇𝒅𝟐 = 187

𝒄 √𝒏 ∑ 𝒇𝒅𝟐 − (∑ 𝒇𝒅)𝟐 𝟔√𝟓𝟎(𝟏𝟖𝟕)− (−𝟏𝟏)𝟐

s= = = 11.53
𝒏 𝟓𝟎

VARIANCE (s2)
The variance is a measure of variability. It is calculated by taking the
average of squared deviations from the mean. Variance tells you the
degree of spread in your data set. The more spread the data, the larger the
variance is in relation to the mean. Variance is obtained by squaring the
standard deviation
Variance = s2
𝒔𝟐 = (11.53)2 = 132.94

OTHER MEASURES OF VARIABILITY

Standard Error of the Mean (𝑺𝑬𝒙̅ )

The standard error of the mean is a statistic that measures the degree to
which the mean is affected by the errors of measurements. Errors may
emanate from the way measurements are taken or in the error of taking
the elements of the distribution. It is obtained by the formula:
𝒔
𝑺𝑬𝒙̅ = where s = standard deviation
√𝒏
n = total population
Using the previous example:
𝒔 𝟏𝟏.𝟓𝟑
𝑺𝑬𝒙̅ = = = 1.63
√𝒏 √𝟓𝟎

Coefficient of Variation
If on the other hand, you would want to find out the degree to which the
observation spread out relative to the mean, then the statistic that indicates
this is the coefficient of variation. It is expressed in percent. Coefficient of
variation is the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean. It is used to
compare the variability of two or more sets of data even when they are
expressed in different unit of measurement. The formula is shown:

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Tel. No. (02) 997-9070

𝒔
cv = ̅ × 100 where s = standard deviation
𝒙
̅ = mean
𝒙
Example: The following are the mean and standard deviation of the assists and points made by Point Guard B in 10
randomly selected games in the 2018 PBA season

Measurements 𝑥̅ s cv
Assists 6.8 3.46 50.88%
Points 21.6 7.04 32.59%

Coefficient of variation for giving assists:

𝒔 𝟑.𝟒𝟔
cv = ̅ ×100 = × 100 = 50.88%
𝒙 𝟔.𝟖

Coefficient of variation for making points

𝒔 𝟕.𝟎𝟒
cv = ̅ ×100 = × 100 = 32.59%
𝒙 𝟐𝟏.𝟔

By just referring to the standard deviation, we cannot say that this particular player performed consistently in giving assist
than in making points, although the number of assists has a smaller standard deviation. These are two different areas with
different units and are not comparable. However, if we convert the standard deviation as a percentage of its mean, then
we can tell in which area he performed consistently. Thus, using the coefficient of variation as basis, we can now conclude
that Point Guard B is more consistent in making points since the coefficient of variation of making points is smaller
(32.59%) than that of giving assists (50.88%).

LEARNING ACTIVITIES (Google Classroom) (Link)

ACTIVITY 4.1
1. The following are the ages of the first 10 female visitors at Kath’s birthday
8 19 43 25 6 15 22 50 18 20
Find the following measurements and interpret the result. (Make a table)
a. range
b. quartile deviation
c. standard deviation
d. variance

2. The following are the scores of two groups of students who took the make-up test in Statistics
Group A Group B
62 75
58 72
65 35
43 53
72 66
Find the following measurement for each group and answer the preceding questions.
a. mean
b. standard deviation
c. standard error of mean
d. coefficient of variation
e. Answer the following
i. Which group performed better in the test?
ii. Which group shows more variability in scores?
iii. Which group has a more uniform set of scores?

ASSESSMENT/ EVALUATION
➢ Quiz using Google form (link)

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Tel. No. (02) 997-9070

ASSIGNMENT
Assignment 4.1
1. The grade in Psychological Statistics of a class in a preliminary exam are as follows:
Grades No. of Deviation
(CI) students d fd fd2 < cf
(f)
90 – 92 3
87 – 89 5
84 – 86 10
81 – 83 12
78 – 80 15 0 0 0 30
75 – 77 9
72 – 74 4
69 – 71 2
C = ______ n= 𝑓𝑑 = 𝑓𝑑2 =

Solve for the following: Use the formula for grouped data.
a. 𝑥̅ f. s2
b. Q3 g. 𝑆𝐸𝑥̅
c. Q1 h. cv
d. Q
e. s

Study:
Normal Distribution
➢ Properties of normal distribution
➢ Application of a normal distribution
➢ Divergence from normality
➢ Skewness
➢ Kurtosis

LEARNING RESOURCES
Textbooks:

Myers, A. & Hansen, C. (2017) Experimental Psychology. Pasig City: Cengage Learning. McGuigan
F.J. (2004). Experimental Psychology: Methods of Research (7th ed.). Singapore:Pearson Education
South Asia Pte. Ltd.

Online Resources:
https://prezi.com/htvok70eidre/chapter-1-experimental-psychology-and-the-scientific- method/

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