With very small sample sizes, the estimated standard deviation of the population yields a slightly higher value than does the true standard deviation of the sample.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When estimating the population standard deviation from a small sample, the sample standard deviation tends to underestimate the population standard deviation, so a correction factor (Bessel's correction) is applied, making the estimated standard deviation slightly higher.

With Very Small Sample Sizes, the Estimated Standard Deviation of the Population