Which characteristic describes the standard normal distribution?

The standard normal distribution is a specific type of normal distribution that is widely utilized in statistics. It is characterized by a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. This particular distribution allows for the standardization of data, meaning that individual data points can be converted into z-scores. A z-score indicates how many standard deviations a data point is from the mean, thereby providing a way to compare scores from different normal distributions.

Using a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1 helps ensure that the properties of the distribution, such as symmetry and the empirical rule (approximately 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean), hold true. This known reference point makes analyses using the standard normal distribution straightforward, allowing statisticians and researchers to apply various statistical tests and inferential statistics effectively.