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What are the advantages and disadvantages of imputing missing data with the mean, median or mode?

1) Advantages: It is a simple and quick method. It preserves the overall distribution of the data. Disadvantages: It may not accurately represent the missing values. It can introduce bias in the data analysis.
2) Advantages: It is robust to outliers. It provides a good estimate of the central tendency. Disadvantages: It may not be appropriate for skewed distributions. It may not be the best estimate for non-normal data.
3) Advantages: It is suitable for categorical data. It provides the most frequent value. Disadvantages: It may not be a representative value. It may not be appropriate for continuous data.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The advantages and disadvantages of imputing missing data with the mean, median, or mode.

Step-by-step explanation:

When imputing missing data with the mean, median, or mode, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.

  1. Mean: Advantage - simple and quick method, preserves overall distribution of the data. Disadvantage - may not accurately represent the missing values, can introduce bias in data analysis.
  2. Median: Advantage - robust to outliers, provides a good estimate of central tendency. Disadvantage - may not be appropriate for skewed distributions, may not be the best estimate for non-normal data.
  3. Mode: Advantage - suitable for categorical data, provides the most frequent value. Disadvantage - may not be a representative value, may not be appropriate for continuous data.