kurtosis

n. the fourth central moment of a probability distribution. It is a statistical description of the degree of peakedness of that distribution. For example, the ages of a sample of college freshmen would probably show kurtosis, having a high peak at age 18. See leptokurtic; mesokurtic; platykurtic.

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Psychology term of the day

November 19th 2024

intermediate need

in Maslow’s motivational hierarchy, a deficiency need that is psychologically based, such as the need for self-esteem, love, or security.