Asian Values STATISTICAL GUIDE The amount of variability in a distribution is a very important feature of a distribution. It's so important, in fact, that it has multiple names, like dispersion or spread. The standard deviation(SD) is a yardstick for measuring variability in a distribution. If the standard deviation is small, the scores in a distribution will mostly huddle close to the mean. If the standard deviation is large, the scores in a distribution will be more widely dispersed from the mean. In fact, you can think of the standard deviation as the average amount scores differ, or deviate, from the mean. In a normal distribution (i.e., a type of symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution), 34% of cases are within one standard deviation above the mean and 34% are within one standard deviation below the mean. For instance, if the mean equals 50.00 for a normal distribution and one standard deviation unit equals 10.00, then 34% of the cases lie between 40.00 and 50.00, and 34% lie between 50.00 and 60.00. Thus, 68% of the cases lie within 10 points of the mean (i.e., 68% lie between 40.00 and 60.00). EXCERPT FROM THE RESEARCHARTICLE! This study was conducted at a Chinese community center in a southwestern city of the United States... A convenience sample of youths aged 14 to 18 years old was recruited via posters and word of mouth at the center's after-school volunteer program and Chinese-language school for high school students. The AVS [Asian Values Scale] uses a modified Likert-type scale in which 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = moderately disagree, 3 = mildly disagree, 4 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = mildly agree, 6 = moderately agree, and 7 = strongly agree. Scores were based on responses to 36 statements written at a middle school reading level. The six Asian cultural values themes explored were (1) collectivism, (2) conformity, (3) emotional self-control, (4) family recognition, (5) filial piety, and (6) humility. Each statement in the scale reflected one of the above themes. Using the AVS as a continuous scale, scores for level of adherence to Asian values can range from 36 to 252; those with lower scores demonstrate a lower adherence to Asian values, whereas those with higher scores demonstrate a higher adherence. Fifty-two youths were interested in participating in the study, and 31 youths completed the entire study. The most common reasons for nonparticipation were the time commitment and lack of interest.