Questions: Describing the distribution of scores and their central tendency, respectively, are best described using confidence intervals and the mode. a normal distribution and the median. a histogram and a scatterplot. the standard deviation and the mean.

Solution Steps

The question asks which pair of statistical tools best describes the distribution of scores and their central tendency. The options provided are:

1. Confidence intervals and the mode.
2. A normal distribution and the median.
3. A histogram and a scatterplot.
4. The standard deviation and the mean.

• Option 1: Confidence intervals describe the range within which a population parameter is likely to fall, but they are not typically used to describe the distribution of scores. The mode is a measure of central tendency, but it is not the most commonly used measure for describing central tendency in most distributions.
• Option 2: A normal distribution is a specific type of distribution that is symmetric and bell-shaped. The median is a measure of central tendency, but it is not the most commonly used measure for describing central tendency in a normal distribution.
• Option 3: A histogram is a graphical representation of the distribution of scores, but a scatterplot is used to show the relationship between two variables, not to describe central tendency.
• Option 4: The standard deviation is a measure of the spread or dispersion of scores, which is useful for describing the distribution. The mean is the most commonly used measure of central tendency, especially in symmetric distributions like the normal distribution.

The best pair for describing the distribution of scores and their central tendency is the standard deviation and the mean. The standard deviation provides information about the spread of the data, while the mean provides a measure of central tendency.

Final Answer