What does "range" refer to in statistics?

The concept of "range" in statistics specifically refers to the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. This calculation provides a simple measure of variability by indicating how spread out the data points are. By taking the highest value in the dataset and subtracting the lowest value, range gives a quick overview of the extent of variation within the data.

Understanding range is important because it helps identify the dispersion of data points, which can influence the interpretation of the dataset. For instance, if the range is large, it suggests that there is considerable variability among the values, while a small range indicates that the values are closer together.

The other options, while related to statistics, describe different statistical measures. The total number of scores refers to the size of the dataset but does not provide information about distribution spread. The average score, commonly referred to as the mean, represents a central value in the dataset rather than its extremes. The middle score is indicative of the median, which is another measure of central tendency rather than variability. Therefore, the correct definition of range encompasses the difference between the highest and lowest scores.