SOC222H5 Chapter 4: Chapter 4—Measures of Central Tendency
Document Summary
Defining all measures of central tendency, explaining their differences, relative strengths and weaknesses. Determining the mode in a given distribution. Finding or calculating the median and percentiles. Mode the category or score with the highest frequency (or percentage) in the distribution. The mode is always a category or score, not a frequency. The mode is not necessarily the category with the majority (i. e. more than 50%) of cases. It is simply the category in which the largest number (or proportion) of cases fall. The mode is used to describe nominal variables. By describing the most commonly occurring category of a nominal variable, the mode thus reflects the most important element of the distribution of a variable measured at the nominal level. The mode is the only measure of central tendency that can be used with nominal level variables. It can also be used to describe the most commonly occurring category in any distribution.
