What are data values that do not fit the pattern of the rest of the data referred to as?

Data values that do not conform to the expected pattern of the rest of the data are referred to as outliers. Outliers are observations that lie outside the general distribution of the data and can significantly influence statistical analyses, such as the mean and standard deviation. Their presence may indicate variability in the measurement, errors in data collection, or may represent a novel phenomenon worthy of further investigation. Identifying outliers is a critical step in data analysis, as it can impact the conclusions drawn from the data.

In contrast, simply deleting outliers from the study can lead to biased results, and reinvestigating them may be necessary to understand their nature better, rather than disregarding them. Placing them in a separate category does not address their significance within the overall dataset, which could lead to an incomplete interpretation of the data’s implications.