Descriptive measure is basically a type of measure that deals with quantitative data in a mass that shows certain kinds of general characteristics. Descriptive measure is generally of different types for the different types of characteristics of data. This document will detail the different types of descriptive measure.
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A tendency that depicts the absorption around specific values, especially around the center, is called the descriptive measure of central tendency. This descriptive measure depicts the central tendency in data that should satisfy several properties. These properties were discussed by the famous statistician, Professor Yule.
The descriptive measure that shows the central tendency must be strictly defined. The descriptive measure that shows this tendency is generally flexible and simple to calculate and understand. The descriptive measure that exhibits such kinds of tendencies must be based on all the observations. The descriptive measure that has this kind of tendency must be adaptable for any kind of mathematical treatment. The descriptive measure that has such tendencies must not get affected by the extreme values in the observations.
The arithmetic mean is the descriptive measure that depicts the centering of the observations. The descriptive measure is defined as the overall sum of the observations in the data that are divided by the number of the observations in the data. This descriptive measure follows the main conditions of the properties that are explained by Professor Yule. The major limitation of the descriptive measure that shows central tendency is that such a descriptive measure cannot be obtained by inspection. This descriptive measure that shows the central tendency cannot be located graphically. This type of descriptive measure that depicts the central tendency cannot be calculated by the researcher if any particular observation is missing from the data. This descriptive measure, which shows the central tendency, is not applicable for that kind of data that shows qualitative characteristics.
The descriptive measure that shows the central tendency also has a descriptive measure called the weighted mean. This descriptive measure also works in a similar manner to arithmetic mean, except for the fact that this descriptive measure attaches weights to the items under consideration according to their importance in the life of the user. For example, if one wants to obtain the cost of living of a certain group of people, then the arithmetic mean descriptive measure will give importance to all the commodities, while the weighted mean descriptive measure gives more weight to certain commodities.
Median is another type of descriptive measure that depicts the central tendency. This descriptive measure is the only measure that is applicable when the researcher is dealing with qualitative data. This descriptive measure is defined as the value that conducts the partition of the data into two equal parts. The limitation of this kind of descriptive measure is that this measure is not adaptable to the algebraic treatment. Also, this kind of descriptive measure is not at all based on all the observations. If the observations are of even numbers, then this descriptive measure cannot be determined appropriately. This descriptive measure is used by the researcher to address the various issues, like the problem concerning wages, the distribution of wealth, etc.
