Choose the statement that best describes what is meant when we say that the sample mean is unbiased when estimating the population mean.
A)The sample mean will always equal the population mean.
B)On average, the sample mean is the same as the population mean.
C)The standard deviation of the sampling distribution (also called the standard error) and the population standard deviation are equal.
D)We cannot say that the sample mean is unbiased.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An unbiased estimator means that the expected value of the estimator equals the parameter it is estimating. In this case, if the sample mean is unbiased, it means that on average, across many samples, the sample mean will equal the population mean.

Choose the Statement That Best Describes What Is Meant When