Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M10493

Standard Deviation

Standard Deviation
TechnicalHigh supportStatistics
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

A measure of the dispersion of a dataset—the average degree to which each data point deviates from the mean.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Quantifying variability. Assessing the concentration or dispersion of data.

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Anchor fast decisions

The standard deviation is the square root of the average of the squared deviations of each data point from the mean, measuring the dispersion of the data. It quantifies 'fluctuation' into a comparable number.

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deviationZH · Explicit
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