1. Discuss the three properties of the mean as outlined in chapter 3. Explain how each of these properties is unique to the mean and not to the median or the mode.

2. What does it mean to have a skewed distribution? What causes a skew in statistical terms? And how does one deal with skewed data when conducting research? Are there specific types of research questions and types of data where one would expect the data to be skewed?

3. If we have a skewed distribution in a variable, would we still want to include it in a statistical analysis? Why or why not? Which variables are more likely to be skewed than others?

4. Describe how the wording of survey questions may skew the data. For example, would asking about interest in gender studies courses vs. interest in women’s studies courses influence the responses?

5. Are there any conditions in which it would be acceptable to allow skewed variables into a research study? If so, describe these conditions.

6. When would you use the median rather than the mean as a measure of central tendency? Why?