What term involves the concept of deviation from the mean in statistical analysis?

The term that involves the concept of deviation from the mean in statistical analysis is standard deviation. Standard deviation is a measure of the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values. A low standard deviation indicates that the values tend to be close to the mean (average) of the set, while a high standard deviation indicates that the values are spread out over a wider range.

Standard deviation provides insight into how much individual data points differ from the mean, making it a crucial statistic for understanding the distribution of data. It helps analysts assess the consistency of data sets, interpret variability, and make predictions concerning future values.

In contrast, normal distribution refers to a specific pattern of data distribution that is symmetrical and bell-shaped, with the mean, median, and mode all at the center. Percentile ranks provide information about how a score compares to a distribution, indicating the percentage of scores that fall below a certain point. High variability describes a wide spread of data points, but it does not provide a specific measurement like standard deviation does.