What is indicated by a high standard deviation?

A high standard deviation indicates that the scores vary widely from the mean. Standard deviation is a statistical measure that quantifies the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values. When the standard deviation is large, it reflects that the individual scores are spread out over a wider range, meaning there are significant differences between the data points and the average (mean) value.

In contrast, a low standard deviation would suggest that the scores are closely clustered around the mean. This means that most of the values are similar to one another, indicating less variability in the data set. The other choices refer to aspects of the data that do not directly relate to what a high standard deviation signifies. For example, having a low mean score or a positively skewed distribution relates to different characteristics of the data set, rather than the spread or variation indicated by the standard deviation itself.