Mode
The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a set of scores. In the frequency distribution of exam scores shown in Table 1, the mode is 85. If two scores occur equally often, the distribution is bimodal. If the data set is made up of a counting of categories, then the category with the most cases is considered the mode, or the modal category. For example, in determining the most common academic major at your school, the mode is the major with the most students. The winner of a presidential primary election in which there are several candidates would represent the mode—the candidate selected by more voters than any other.
The mode can be the best measure of central tendency for practical reasons. It is the only measure of central tendency that is appropriate for non-numeric, or qualitative, data. Imagine a car dealership given the option of carrying a particular model car, but limited to selecting just one color. The dealership owner would be wise to choose the modal color.
Learning Check #5:
A researcher is interested in the effect of family size on self-esteem. To
begin this study, ten students are each asked how many brothers and sisters
they have. The responses are as follows: 2, 3, 1, 0, 9, 2, 3, 2, 4, 2. What
is the mode for this set of data?