A Distribution of Means When we create a distribution of means, we eliminate extreme scores. If we choose just one individual score, there’s a chance we’ll get an extreme one, such as the length of the fingernails of the woman on the left. But if we select several scores, other, more typical scores—like those for the lengths of the fingernails in the sample on the right—will balance out any extreme score. This helps to explain why a distribution of means tends to be less variable than a distribution of scores.
Andy Johnstone /Pacific Coast News/Newscom.com
Saovadee/Shutterstock