Which measure of central tendency is most appropriate when a distribution is skewed, as in the example with extreme scores?

• A. The mean
• B. The mode
• C. The median
• D. The range

Answer: (C)

When a distribution is skewed and has extreme scores, use the median to represent the center because it isn’t pulled toward those outliers. The median is the middle value when the data are ordered, so a single very high or very low score doesn’t dramatically shift it. In contrast, the mean sums all values and divides by n, so extreme scores tug the average toward them and misrepresent where most cases lie. The mode is the most frequent value and isn’t a reliable measure of center in skewed data, especially with continuous data where a clear single mode may not exist. The range describes how spread out the data are, not the center. For skewed distributions, the median provides a better sense of the typical score, which is why it’s the appropriate choice. For example, with a set like 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 100, the mean spikes due to the 100, while the median stays near the bulk of the data around 2–3.