Chapter 3

Central Tendency
PowerPoint Lecture Slides
Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral
Sciences
Seventh Edition
by Frederick J Gravetter and Larry B. Wallnau
Learning Outcomes
Concepts to review

• Summation notation

• Frequency distributions
3.1 Overview of central tendency

• Central tendency
– A statistical measure
– A single score to define the center of a
distribution
• Purpose: find the single score that is most
typical or best represents the entire group
Figure 3.1
What is the “center” of each distribution?
3.2 The Mean

• The mean is the sum of all the scores divided

by the number of scores in the data.

  X
M
 X
N n
The Mean: Three definitions

• Sum of the scores divided by the number of

scores in the data
• The amount each individual receives when
the total is divided equally among all the
individuals in the distribution
• The balance point for the distribution
Figure 3.2
Figure 3.3
The Weighted Mean

• Combine two sets of scores

• Three steps:
– Determine the combined sum of all the scores
– Determine the combined number of scores
– Divide the sum of scores by the total number
of scores

overall mean  M 
X 1   X2
n1  n2
Computing the Mean from a
Frequency Distribution Table

This is an adaptation of Table 3.1

Learning Check
• A sample of n = 12 scores has a mean of
M = 8. What is the value of ΣX for this
sample?
Learning Check - Answer
Characteristics of the Mean
• Changing the value of a score changes the
mean.
• Introducing a new score or removing a score
usually changes the mean (unless the score
added or removed is exactly equal to the mean).
• Adding or subtracting a constant from each
score changes the mean by the same constant.
• Multiplying or dividing each score by a
constant multiplies or divides the mean by
that constant.
Learning Check
• A sample of n = 7 scores has M = 5.
All of the scores are doubled.
What is the new mean?
Learning Check - Answer
3.3 The Median

• The median is the midpoint of the scores in a

distribution when they are listed in order from
smallest to largest.
• The median divides the scores into two
groups of equal size.
Figure 3.4
Figure 3.5
The Precise Median for a
Continuous Variable

• A continuous variable can be infinitely divided

• The precise median is located in the interval
defined by the real limits of the value.
• It is necessary to determine the fraction of the
interval needed to divide the distribution
exactly in half.
number needed to reach 50%
• fraction 
number in the interval
Figure 3.6
Median, Mean, and Middle

• Mean is the balance point of a distribution

– Defined by distances
– Often is not the midpoint of the scores
• Median is the midpoint of a distribution
– Defined by number of scores
– Often is not the balance point of the scores
• Both measure central tendency, using two
different concepts of “middle”
Figure 3.7
Learning Check
• Decide if each of the following statements
is True or False.
Learning Check - Answer
3.4 The Mode

• The mode is the score or category that has

the greatest frequency of any in the
frequency distribution
– Can be used with any scale of measurement
– Corresponds to an actual score in the data
• It is possible to have more than one mode
Figure 3.8
3.5 Selecting a Measure of
Central Tendency
Figure 3.9
Figure 3.10
Means or Medians in a Line Graph
Figure 3.11
Means or Medians in a Bar Graph
3.6 Central Tendency and the Shape
of the Distribution

• Symmetrical distributions
– Mean and median have same value
– If exactly one mode, it has same value as the
mean and the median
– Distribution may have more than one mode,
or no mode at all
Figure 3.12
Central Tendency in
Skewed Distributions
• Mean, influenced by extreme scores, is found
far toward the long tail (positive or negative)
• Median, in order to divide scores in half, is
found toward the long tail, but not as far as
the mean
• Mode is found near the short tail.
• If Mean – Median > 0, the distribution is
positively skewed.
• If Mean – Median < 0, the distribution is
negatively skewed
Figure 3.13
Learning Check
• A distribution of scores shows Mean = 31
and Median = 43. This distribution is
probably
Learning Check - Answer
Learning Check
• Decide if each of the following statements
is True or False.
Learning Check - Answer