The center and spread of a sampling distribution can be found using statistical formulas. The center can be found using the mean, median, midrange, or mode. The spread can be found using the range, variance, or standard deviation. Other measures of spread are the mean absolute deviation and the interquartile range.
The shape of a distribution is described by its number of peaks and by its possession of symmetry, its tendency to skew, or its uniformity. (Distributions that are skewed have more points plotted on one side of the graph than on the other.) PEAKS: Graphs often display peaks, or local maximums.
