If you intend to use a sample as an estimate of a population parameter, which standard deviation is the best to calculate?
A) biased
B) unbiased
C) squared deviation
D) mean deviation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best standard deviation to use when estimating a population parameter from a sample is the unbiased standard deviation. This is because the unbiased standard deviation takes into account the fact that the sample is only a subset of the population and corrects for the tendency of the sample standard deviation to underestimate the population standard deviation. The other options (biased, squared deviation, and mean deviation) do not account for this and may lead to biased estimates.

If You Intend to Use a Sample as an Estimate