Which statistical measure is considered resistant to outliers?

Which statistical measure is considered resistant to outliers?

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

Answer: (C)

The median is recognized as a resistant measure of central tendency because it is not significantly affected by outliers. Unlike the mean, which can be skewed by extremely high or low values, the median represents the middle value of a dataset when it is ordered from least to greatest. This means that as long as the dataset has a value below and above the median, the actual values of the outliers do not change the position of the median. In contrast, the mode, while it may remain unchanged in some datasets, is not robust in the same sense as the median because it can vary widely based on the frequency of values rather than their magnitude. The mean, being an average, is heavily influenced by outliers, which can distort the data’s central tendency. The range, which measures the difference between the highest and lowest values, is also highly sensitive to outliers since it is directly affected by the extreme values in the dataset. Therefore, the median stands out as the most stable central tendency measure when outliers are present.

The median is recognized as a resistant measure of central tendency because it is not significantly affected by outliers. Unlike the mean, which can be skewed by extremely high or low values, the median represents the middle value of a dataset when it is ordered from least to greatest. This means that as long as the dataset has a value below and above the median, the actual values of the outliers do not change the position of the median.

In contrast, the mode, while it may remain unchanged in some datasets, is not robust in the same sense as the median because it can vary widely based on the frequency of values rather than their magnitude. The mean, being an average, is heavily influenced by outliers, which can distort the data’s central tendency. The range, which measures the difference between the highest and lowest values, is also highly sensitive to outliers since it is directly affected by the extreme values in the dataset. Therefore, the median stands out as the most stable central tendency measure when outliers are present.