For each of the following situations, identify the measure of central tendency (mean, median, or mode) that would provide the best description of the average score:

Question

a. A new reporter interviewed people shopping in a local mall and asked how much they spent on summer vacations. Most people traveled locally and reported modest amounts but one couple had flown to Paris for a month and paid a small fortune.
b. A marketing researcher asked consumers to select their favorite from a set of four designs for a new product logo.
c. A driving instructor recorded the number of orange cones that each student ran over during the first attempt a parallel parking.

Answer 1

a. Mean is most influenced by deviant scores, since it acts as a fulcrum (balance point) for the distribution — median.

b. Only a nominal scale — mode.

http://drdavespsychologypage.intuitwebsites.com/Two___Two_____four.pdf

c. If normal distribution — mean. If not — median.