The standard deviation of a distribution of means is sometimes called "the standard error of the mean," or the "standard error," because
A)it is an inaccurate estimate of a sample standard deviation and cannot be used to determine the variance.
B)it is calculated by summing the errors figured by subtracting sample means from the population variance.
C)it is frequently used as an "error term" when calculating the estimated sample variance.
D)it represents the degree to which particular sample means are "in error" as estimates of the mean of the population of individual scores.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The standard deviation of a distribution of means is a measure of how much individual sample means differ from the mean of the population of scores they are drawn from. This difference is considered to be an "error" because individual sample means will never perfectly match the population mean due to random sampling error. Therefore, the standard deviation of a distribution of means represents the "standard error of the mean," or the degree to which specific sample means are "in error" as estimates of the population mean.

The Standard Deviation of a Distribution of Means Is Sometimes