Scales

nominal measures definition

NAME; just categories or labels. no order required- can only use MODE analysis

• M/F, Y/N

• zip code, phone number, jersey number, favorite food

ordinal measures definition

ORDER (marathon); categories can be ranked but the distance between them isn’t necessarily equal— uses median and mode analysis

• first, second, third, fourth choice of brand

• 1-5 stars, rankings, poor → excellent, A → B → C

interval measures definition

The differences between values are meaningful/equal, but there is no true zero.

• temperature, time of day

• a coffee brand rated 3 in taste is one unit away from one rated 4.

ratio scale definition

real zero; can do any analysis and have order, equal intervals, and a true zero

• An actual number of purchases in a certain time period, dollars spent, miles traveled, number of children in the household, or years of college education.

interval scale

Suppose you are analyzing a dataset on athletic performance. This dataset includes many variables, one of which records the time on a twelve-hour clock that each athlete falls asleep.

This variable would be scaled as?

interval scale

In the same dataset on athletic performance, there is a variable that records what the temperature of the room was when each athlete fell asleep. This variable would be scaled as?

nominal

Sports players are assigned jersey numbers. A researcher codes senior players as 90-99 and freshman as 1-9. What scale would this be?

nominal

In a basketball dataset, players are identified by jersey numbers (e.g. #23). What type of scale is this?

interval scale

When a researcher is attempting to measure attitudes, opinions, evaluations, beliefs, impressions, perceptions, feelings, and intentions on a continuum, the researcher is using a type of:

ordinal

What type of scale is a 1-5 star rating?

nominal

A dataset includes participant zip codes. The zip code was collected by asking: “What is your zip code ________?” How would this be scaled?

ratio

A dataset captures the market share of a focal brand. What would this be scaled as?

interval

A 5-point satisfaction scale is summed across 10 items to form a composite score (range 10-50). What scale type is the composite variable?

interval

In a ___________ scale, the mean and median values can be evaluated, but doesn’t contain zero.

ratio scale

_______________ provides the most detailed information as researchers and statisticians can calculate the central tendency using statistical techniques such as mean, median, mode, and methods such as geometric mean, the coefficient of variation, or harmonic mean can also be used on this scale.

ratio scale

____________ accommodates the characteristic of three other variable measurement scales, i.e. labeling the variables, the significance of the order of variables, and a calculable difference between variables (which are usually equidistant).

ordinal

A dataset includes student grades in a marketing analytics class where 90 and above equals “A,” 80-89 equals a “B,” 70-79 equals a “C” and so on. What scale would this be?

nominal

A question is open ended that asks participants “What is your phone number________?” What type of scale would this be?

ordinal

pain scale (0= no pain to 10 =worst pain)

ordinal

rate your baking skills on the scale below:

- terrible - poor -average -good -excellent

ordinal

rankings for college basketball

ordinal

what time of day do you feel your best:

- before dawn -morning -noon -afternoon -eveneing -night

ordinal

what is your socioeconomic status:

- poor -middle class -rich

ordinal

how satisfied are you with your college major:

- extr. dissatisfied -some diss. -neither -somewhat satis. -extr. satisfied

ratio

how much was the bill at the restaurant?

nominal

how much would you tio at a restaurant:

• zero to one dollar

• two to three dollars

• dour to six dollars

• i always leave 15%

nominal

whats your favorite type of food? select all that apply:

bland, spicy, very spicy, extremely spicy

ordinal

how spicy do you like your food

ratio scales because they include order, equal intervals, and a true zero

Of the four scale types (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio), what makes certain scales more favorable than others?