Influence of Outliers
The mean in our data was most influenced by outliers. This is the case since an extremely high or low number altered our means more than mode or median. Mode was not affected because if we had an extreme temperature we only had it once. Since mode is the temperature that your body was the most, it was not affected. Also, median was not affected because we both had 34 temperatures after collecting our data. Since mode is the middle number when data is put in rank order, a high or low temperature did not affect it.
These extremes might have occurred based on random variation such as taking our temperature after eating ice cream. These occurrences we discovered to be rare and unusual due to the fact that we both took our temperatures at similar times a day, not before or after drastic workouts, food consumption, or activities outside.
MacEwen, B. (2008, Spring Semester). Psychology 261. Class Lectures. University of Mary Washington.
