In a dataset of fasting blood glucose levels from 200 adults, an erroneous value of 600 mg/dL is accidentally included instead of 100 mg/dL. Which measure of central tendency will be MOST affected by this single outlier?
- A Median
- B Mean ✓
- C Mode
- D Geometric mean
Correct answer: B. Mean
Explanation
The mean incorporates every value in the calculation, so a single extreme outlier pulls it substantially upward or downward. The median and mode are resistant to outliers. While the geometric mean is less affected than the arithmetic mean, the arithmetic mean is still the most sensitive to extreme values.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 26th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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