Application: Measures of Central Tendency
Measures of central tendency may be familiar to you from prior math classes you have taken. Consider the summary of these terms below:
The mean is the average of all numbers in a set of data.
The mode is the number in a dataset that most frequently occurs.
The median is the number that falls in the middle of the numbers in a given set when those numbers are placed in rank order.
The standard deviation tells how far the numbers in a given data set deviate from the mean of that set. In other words, it tells whether the numbers in the dataset are generally close together or far apart.
These measures are simple but extremely valuable for all social scientists, including criminal justice researchers. They are summary statistics, which provide useful information about the study sample and allow researchers to compare multiple data sets.
For this Application Assignment, use the following statistics:
The total population of the Battawba metropolitan area was 5,604,383 persons in 2011. For that year, the following burglary rates were reported in the localities within this metropolitan area:
| Area |
Number of Burglaries Reported |
| City of Battawba |
2,563 |
| City of Wineburg |
734 |
| City of Lakeville |
301 |
| City of Drake |
1,482 |
| City of Valmer |
231 |
| City of Chase Abbey |
857 |
| City of Southmetro |
644 |
| City of Collington |
1026 |
| City of Williamson |
644 |
| City of New Batten |
159 |
The assignment (2-3 pages):
Calculate the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation for the burglary statistics provided on the metropolitan area of Battawba.
Explain your interpretation of the measures of central tendency and standard deviation for burglary rates in the Battawba metropolitan area (i.e., what they can tell you about who is committing crime and where it is being committed).