Case Study

Explain why the clinically depressed student's score is considered an outlier in this study. Based on your understanding of the context, how does the composition of the rest of the sample determine whether this specific score is classified as an outlier?

Case context: A researcher is studying the academic and emotional adjustment of first-year college students. They administer the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to a cohort of 100 students who are generally happy and high-functioning. Ninety-nine of the students score within a low, tight range indicating typical adjustment. However, one student who has been diagnosed with clinical depression scores extremely high, placing them far away from the rest of the group.

Question: Explain why the clinically depressed student's score is considered an outlier in this study. Based on your understanding of the context, how does the composition of the rest of the sample determine whether this specific score is classified as an outlier?

Sample answer: The clinically depressed student's score is considered an outlier because it falls drastically outside the typical range of the rest of the sample. The composition of the rest of the sample—being happy and high-functioning peers with low scores—defines what the 'typical range' is. Because the single depressed student's score is drastically different from this established typical range, it stands out as an outlier. If the sample had consisted entirely of clinically depressed individuals, a high score would not be an outlier.

Key points:

  • The score falls drastically outside the typical range
  • The rest of the sample establishes the comparison baseline (happy, high-functioning peers)
  • Outlier status is determined relative to the typical pattern of the comparison sample

Rubric: The response must explain: 1) why the score is an outlier (it falls drastically outside the typical range), and 2) how the characteristics of the peer group (happy and high-functioning) establish the typical baseline against which the outlier status is determined.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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