Soc Res I : Quantitati SOC-321-OL01

 Reply to discussion question:

Think of ways that measures of dispersion (range, standard deviation) are used in the real world.  Choose an example variable that can be measured at the interval ratio level of measurement, and discuss what a low versus high standard deviation (high vs. low dispersion) would mean for that variable.

For example, if you are interested in the average length of marriages (how long people stay married), what would a high versus a low standard deviation indicate, in plain English? Say, for instance, one sample says the average length of marriage was 10 years with a standard deviation of 5, while another sample says the average length of the marriage is 30 years with a standard deviation of 2. Which sample has greater dispersion in length of marriages, and what might that suggest about that society? Lead yourself through your own consideration of these questions as applied to your own social variable of choice.