In psychology, central tendency refers to the statistical measure that identifies a single value as representative of an entire distribution of data. It is a way to describe the center of a data set or where the scores tend to fall. This concept is crucial because it helps researchers and clinicians understand the typical or most common outcomes within a set of data, which can be particularly useful when making inferences about human behavior and mental processes.

There are three main measures of central tendency:
1. Mean: Often referred to as the average, the mean is calculated by adding all the values in a data set and dividing the sum by the number of values. It is the most common measure of central tendency and is best used when the data is normally distributed, without extreme outliers.
2. Median: This is the middle value of a data set when the values are arranged in ascending order. It is less affected by skewed data or outliers and provides a better central value for such distributions.
3. Mode: The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a data set. It is the number that occurs with the highest frequency and can be useful in understanding the most common outcome.

These measures help psychologists and researchers summarize and make sense of the data collected through research, providing insights into what is typical or normal for a particular group as a whole. Central tendency is particularly important in psychology because it can indicate a typical score and let a researcher know what is most likely going to happen or has the highest probability of occurring.