How to Choose Effective Statistics for Data Analysis

What kind of statistics are effective for illustrating the main characteristics of a variable's distribution?

A. Univariate analysis

B. Bivariate analysis

C. Multivariate analysis

D. Scatter plots

What central tendency metric is most suitable when a distribution has outliers?

A. Mean

B. Median

C. Mode

Answer:

For illustrating the main characteristics of a variable's distribution, both univariate and bivariate/multivariate analysis can be effective using descriptive statistics such as scatter plots.

Explanation:

Descriptive statistics can help summarize correlations between variables when there are multiple variables involved. When a distribution has outliers, the most appropriate central tendency measure is the median. Outliers can greatly skew the mean, making it less reliable in such cases. The median is a more robust measure of central tendency when outliers are present.