What are the three measures of central tendency?

Study for the UCF PSY3213C Research Methods in Psychology Exam. Review key concepts with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with detailed explanations and hints. Master your subject and excel in your test!

The three measures of central tendency are the mean, mode, and median. Each of these measures provides a different perspective on the data set and helps in understanding the distribution of values.

The mean is calculated by adding all the values in a data set and dividing by the number of values. It is often referred to as the average. The mode is the value that appears most frequently in the data set, which can be particularly useful for identifying the most common item. The median is the middle value when all the numbers are arranged in order. If there is an even number of observations, the median is calculated by taking the average of the two middle numbers. Together, these three measures offer a comprehensive view of the data's central point.

The other options contain components that are not measures of central tendency. Variance, for example, is a measure of variability or dispersion, not a measure of central tendency. Similarly, frequency refers to how often a particular value appears in the data and is also not classified as a measure of central tendency. The standard deviation is another measure of variability, quantifying the amount of variation or spread in a collection of values, rather than centrality. Thus, option B accurately lists the three key measures of central tendency in statistics.

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