Which term is associated with the normal curve?

The term that is most closely associated with the normal curve is normal distribution. The normal distribution is a fundamental concept in statistics characterized by its bell-shaped curve, which represents the distribution of a set of data points. This curve is symmetric about the mean, with most of the observations clustering around the central peak and the probabilities for values tapering off equally in both directions from the mean.

Standard deviation is indeed linked to the normal distribution as it measures the dispersion of data points around the mean, but it is not the term that directly describes the shape itself. Galton is a historical figure in statistics but is not the term that refers to the normal curve. Standard error, while it relates to the precision of a sample mean estimate, does not specifically describe the shape of the normal distribution.

Thus, normal distribution is the key term that directly describes the normal curve and encompasses its properties, making it the correct choice. Understanding this will help in grasping more complex statistical concepts that rely on the normal distribution, such as hypothesis testing and confidence intervals.