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In a set of four simple reaction times ($$200$$, $$250$$, $$280$$, and $$250$$ milliseconds), the mean is $$245$$ milliseconds. If one extreme outlier score of $$5,000$$ milliseconds is added, the mean rises to $$1,445$$ milliseconds. This resulting mean is greater than $$80$$% of the scores and fails to represent the typical behavior in the distribution, demonstrating why researchers prefer the median for highly skewed distributions.

Example of the Impact of Skew on the Mean

A researcher records four simple reaction times of 200, 250, 280, and 250 milliseconds, yielding a mean of 245 milliseconds. After one extreme outlier score of 5,000 milliseconds is added to the data set, the new mean becomes ____ milliseconds.

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