What indicates a distribution with positive kurtosis, characterized by a higher peak and heavier tails?

A distribution with positive kurtosis is specifically referred to as leptokurtic. This term describes distributions that have a sharper peak, indicating that the majority of data points are closer to the mean, as well as heavier tails, suggesting a higher likelihood of extreme values compared to a normal distribution.

In contrast, a mesokurtic distribution has a kurtosis similar to that of a normal distribution, meaning it has a moderate peak and tails. Platykurtic distributions exhibit negative kurtosis, which leads to a flatter peak and lighter tails relative to a normal distribution. Thus, while mesokurtic and platykurtic both refer to types of kurtosis, they do not align with the characteristics of a distribution exhibiting positive kurtosis. Normal is a specific distribution shape but does not encompass the heightened peaks and heavier tails that define leptokurtic distributions.

Therefore, the identification of a distribution as leptokurtic precisely captures the essence of having a higher peak and heavier tails, making it the correct choice.