This is actually in my communications class. I have to decide which is the best statistic type is best to use in my speech. (mean, median or mode)
I am struggling to decide which statistic would be used to support the following assertions?
Louisiana’s educational system has improved dramatically and now ranks higher than any other southern state. _____________
Louisiana’s students are struggling with test scores reaching a 7 year low. It is essential that more federal funds be routed to improving Louisiana’s schools. _____________
I also need to answer why and how can this be manipulative of the audience?
This can be manipulative of the audience if they do not understand the correlations of the statistics given, as most listeners capacities for numerical data may be limited. If numbers and statistics are presented without visual reinforcements, the audience may not grasp their importance.
If the distribution of scores is normal, all these measures of central tendency will have essentially the same value.
If the distribution is positively skewed (many lower scores and relatively few higher scores), the mode will have the lowest value, and the mean (most influenced by deviant scores) will have the highest.
With a negatively skewed distribution, the opposite will be true. The mean will have the lowest value, and the mode will have the highest.
Which distribution do you think would be typical of Louisiana's student scores?
I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
Thanks PSYDAG -- I am going to try to get my brain in gear and understand. I appreciate your time and information.
To decide which statistic type is best to use in your speech, let's analyze the two assertions separately:
1. Louisiana’s educational system has improved dramatically and now ranks higher than any other southern state.
In this case, you would want to use the mean as the statistic. The mean is calculated by adding up all the values and dividing the sum by the number of values. By using the mean, you can determine the average educational ranking of Louisiana compared to other southern states. This will provide a comprehensive understanding of their educational improvement.
2. Louisiana’s students are struggling with test scores reaching a 7-year low. It is essential that more federal funds be routed to improving Louisiana’s schools.
For this assertion, the median would be the most suitable statistic to use. The median is the middle value in a data set when it is ordered numerically. It is beneficial in this case because it represents the score that separates the higher half from the lower half, giving a clear indication of the overall performance. By using the median, you can accurately describe the performance of Louisiana's students and emphasize the necessity for additional funding.
Regarding the manipulative nature of statistics, it is essential to consider the context and presentation of the data. Manipulation can occur if the statistics are presented without proper explanation or if they are selectively chosen to support a specific argument. To avoid manipulation, it is crucial to provide a comprehensive analysis of the data, present the limitations and potential biases, and provide visual aids or clear explanations to help the audience understand the significance of the statistics presented.