Measures of Central Tendency

While studying a data set, we often want to determine where most of the data are located. In statistical terms, this characteristic is called the “central tendency.” Various measures can be used to describe the central tendency of a data set, including the mean, the median, and the mode (Rosenthal and Rosnow, 2008). 

• The mean is the arithmetic average of a data set.  
• The median is the middle score in a data set.  
• The mode is the value that occurs with the greatest frequency in a data set. 

When there are numerous groups involved in a study, comparing the means of the groups can offer some early indications of how the groups relate to one another. If we discover that the means of two groups differ noticeably, then we can use statistical tests, such the t test, to determine whether the difference is statistically significant. But we cannot use descriptive statistics to draw conclusions. 

To better understand the mean, median, and mode, watch this video: 

Use can use the MS Excel to calculate mean, median, and mode as shown in this video:  

Or you can use SPSS to calculate mean, median, and mode as shown in this video: 

References 

Rosenthal, R., Rosnow, R., 2008. Essentials of Behavioral Research: Methods and Data Analysis, third ed. McGraw Hill, Boston, MA.