MEASURES OF

CENTRAL TENDENCY
AND DISPERSION/
VARIABILITY
Kabagani, Nor Anny Kassandra M.
Malalis, Kyle Dustin M.
Arca, Eljean S.
 Learning Outcomes:
Explain the meaning and function of the measures
of central tendency and measures of
dispersion/variability
Distinguish among the measures of central
tendency and measures of variability/dispersion
Explain the meaning of normal and skewed score
distribution
 7.1 Measure of Central Tendency
- Is a single value that attempts to describe a set of
data (like scores) by identifying the central position
within the set of data or scores.
- Sometimes called as measures of central location.

CENTRAL TENDENCY
- Refers to the center of a distribution of observations
 Three
Measures of
Central 1. MEAN
Tendency
2. MEDIAN
3. MODE
• Is equal to the sum of all the values in the data set
divided by the number of values in the data set.

For example, 10 students in a Graduate School class

got the following scores in a 100-item test:
70, 72, 75, 77, 78, 80, 84, 87, 90, 92

Mean: = 80.5 (Average score of the group)

MEAN
When not to use the Mean?
When there are values that are unusual compared to the
rest of the data set by being especially small or large in
numerical value.
Example:
Consider the scores of 10 Grade 12 students in a 100-item
Statistics test below:
Student 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Score 5 38 56 60 67 70 73 78 79 95
Mean:
(skewed by the extremely low and
extremely high scores)
• Is the middle score for a set of scores arranged from
lowest to highest
• Is less affected by extremely low and extremely high
scores
Example: 65 55 89 56 35 14 56 55 87 45 92

14 35 45 55 55 56 56 65 87 89 92

14 35 45 55 55 56 56 65 87 89

= 55.5
MEDIAN
• Is the most frequent score in our data set.
• On a histogram, it represents the highest bar in a bar
chart or histogram.
Example:
14 35 45 55 55 56 56 65 87 89

There are two most frequent scores 55 and 56.

So we have a score distribution with two modes,
hence a bimodal distribution.

MODE
 7.2 Normal and Skewed Distribution
The normal distribution is the most important
probability distribution in statistics for independent,
random variables.
It is a continuous probability distribution that is
symmetrical around its mean, most of the observations
cluster around the central peak, and the probabilities for
values further away from the mean taper off equally in
both directions.
 If mean is
equal to the
median and
median is equal to
the mode, the
score distribution
shows a perfectly
normal
distribution.
 If mean is
less than the
median and
mode, the score
distribution is
negatively
skewed
distribution.
 If mean is
greater than the
median and
mode, the score
distribution is
positively
skewed
distribution.
7.3 Outcome-based Teaching-Learning and
Score Distribution
Negatively skewed distribution - If teachers teach in
accordance with the principles of outcome-based
teaching-learning and so align content and assessment
with the intended learning outcomes and re-teach till
mastery what has/have not been understood as
revealed by the formative assessment process.
7.3 Outcome-based Teaching-Learning and
Score Distribution
Positively skewed distribution – If what teachers teach
and assess are not aligned with the intended learning
outcomes, the opposite will be true.
 7.4 Measures of Dispersion
or Variability
Variability – refers to how “spread out” a group of
scores is. The terms variability, spread, and
dispersion are synonyms, and refer to how spread
out a distribution is.
Example:
A – 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 – Mean is 5.6
B – 1, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9 – Mean is 5.6
Score distribution A shows scores that are less varied than
score distribution B. That is what we mean by variability or
dispersion.
 Quiz 2

Quiz 1
 Common
Measures of 1. RANGE
Dispersion
or 2. VARIANCE
Variability
3. STANDARD
DEVIATION
Range - Is the most simple measure of variability. It is
simply the highest score minus the lowest score.
For example, what is the range of the following group of
scores: 10, 2, 5, 6, 7, 3, 4?
10 – 2 = 8 (Range)

99, 45, 23, 67, 45, 91, 82, 78, 62, 51

Range = 99 – 23 = 76

40, 40, 42, 50, 53, 56, 67, 68, 70, 89

Range = 89 – 40 = 49
Variance – is defined as the average squared difference
of the scores from the mean.

Formula of Variance:
 Deviation from Squared 7 0 0
Scores
Mean Deviation
6 -1 1
9 2 4
6 -1 1
9 2 4
6 -1 1
9 2 4
6 -1 1
8 1 1 6 -1 1
8 1 1 6 -1 1
8 1 1 5 -2 4
8 1 1 5 -2 4
7 0 0 Means

7 0 0 7 0 1.5

7 0 0 Table 1. Calculation of Variance for Quiz 1

scores
7 0 0
Standard Deviation
To calculate the standard deviation of those number:
1. Work out the Mean (the simple average of the numbers).
2. Then for each number: subtract the Mean and square
the result
3. Then work out the mean of those squared differences.
4. Take the square root of that and we are done!

Example: Sam has 20 rose bushes.

The number of flowers on each bush is
9, 2, 5, 4, 2, 7, 8, 11, 9, 3, 7, 4, 12, 5, 4, 10,
9, 6, 9, 4.
Step 1: Work out the mean ()
9+2+5+4+12+7+8+11+9+3+7+4+12+5+4+10+9+6+9+4
= 140
So:
Step 2: Then for each number, subtract the Mean and square the
result.

…etc…
And we get these results:
4, 25, 4, 9, 25, 0, 1, 16, 0, 9, 25, 4, 9, 9, 4, 1, 4, 9
Step 3: Then work out the mean of those squared differences. To
work out the mean, add up all the values then divide by how many.

(Sum off all values from 1 to N)

4+25+4+9+25+0+1+16+0+9+25+4+9+9+4+1+4+9 = 178

(Mean of squared differences)

(Note: this value is called the “Variance”)
Step 3: Take the square root of that:

=
Sample Standard Deviation
Example: Sam has 20 rose bushes, but only counted the flowers
on 6 of them. Let’s say Sam’s flower counts are: 9, 2, 5, 4, 12, 7

Note:
“N-1” instead of “N”
sample mean
answer for Sample Standard Deviation
Step 1: Work out the mean
(9+2+5+4+12+7) / 6 = 39/6 = 6.5
So, x = 6.5

Step 2: Then for each number: subtract the Mean and square
the result
Step 3: Then work out the mean of those squared
differences. To work out the mean, add up all the values then
divide by how many.

Sum = 6.25 + 20.25 + 2.25 + 6.25 + 30.25 + 0.25 = 65.5

Divide by N-1: (1/5) x 65.5 = 13.1

Step 4: Take the square root of that,

 7.5 Comparing
When we used the whole
population we got:
Mean = 7
Standard Deviation = 2.983
When we used the whole
sample we got:
Mean = 6.5
Standard Deviation = 3.619

Why Take a Sample?

Mostly because it is easier and cheaper.
Imagine you want to know what the whole university
thinks… you can’t ask thousands of people, so instead you ask
maybe only 300 people. Samuel Johnson once said “You don’t
have to eat the whole ox to know that meat is tough.”
 7.6 More Notes on Standard Deviation
The standard deviation is simply the square root of
the variance. It is an especially useful measure of
variability when the distribution is normal or approximately
normal because the proportion of the distribution within a
given number of standard deviations from the mean can
be calculated.
For example, 68% of the distribution is within one
standard deviation of the mean and approximately 95% of
the distribution is within two standard deviations of the
mean.
 Therefore, if you had a normal distribution with a
mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10, then 68% of
the distribution would be between 50–10=40 and
50+10=60. Similarly, about 95% of the distribution would
be between 50-(2x10)=30 and 50+(2x10)=70. The symbol
for the population standard deviation is
 7.7 Interpretation of Standard Deviation
Let us use the standard deviation to compare two
data sets. Let us use the standard deviation to interpret
how consistent the data are. The lower the standard
deviation, the more consistent the data are.
Example - Two bowlers, Katie and Mike have the scores
given below:
Katie’s Scores – 189 146 200 241 231
Mike’s Scores – 235 201 217 168 186
Both sets of data have a mean (x) = 201.4.
 ACTIVITY
Problem Solving:

1. Here is a set of scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

What is the mean?
What is the median and mode?
What is the range?
 ACTIVITY
Problem Solving:

2. A student has gotten the following grades on his

tests: 87, 95, 76, and 88. He wants an 85 or better
overall . What is the minimum grade he must get on
the last test in order to achieve that average?
 ACTIVITY
3. Here is a score distribution of a quiz with 10 as the
highest possible score: 2, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8.
What is the range?

4. Is illustrated by the perfect bell shape or normal

curve.
 ACTIVITY
5. Draw a negatively skewed distribution.

6. Draw a positively skewed distribution.

7. Write the formula of Sample Standard Deviation.