The tendency for an individual's score to move closer to the mean on subsequent testing is known as this?

The tendency for an individual's score to move closer to the mean on subsequent testing is known as this?

• A. Regression Effect
• B. Regression to the Mean
• C. Practice Effect
• D. Central Tendency

Answer: (A)

When a score is unusually high or low on one occasion, the next score tends to move closer to the average because random factors and measurement error that contributed to the first result are unlikely to repeat in exactly the same way. This natural pull toward the overall mean is called regression to the mean. It explains why someone who scores exceptionally well on the first test might score closer to the average on a retest, and similarly why a very low score often rises toward the mean on a subsequent attempt. It’s different from a practice effect, which implies a systematic improvement from repeated exposure, and from central tendency, which is a statistical summary of where scores cluster rather than a retesting behavior. The standard term for this phenomenon is regression to the mean.

When a score is unusually high or low on one occasion, the next score tends to move closer to the average because random factors and measurement error that contributed to the first result are unlikely to repeat in exactly the same way. This natural pull toward the overall mean is called regression to the mean. It explains why someone who scores exceptionally well on the first test might score closer to the average on a retest, and similarly why a very low score often rises toward the mean on a subsequent attempt. It’s different from a practice effect, which implies a systematic improvement from repeated exposure, and from central tendency, which is a statistical summary of where scores cluster rather than a retesting behavior. The standard term for this phenomenon is regression to the mean.