5.2 levels of measurement

What are the two components involved in the process of measurement?

A set of categories and a procedure for assigning individuals to categories.

What defines the nominal level of measurement?

A scale where categories represent qualitative differences and are not systematically related.

Give an example of nominal level measurement.

Grouping college students by their major (e.g., English, history, psychology).

What characterizes the ordinal level of measurement?

Categories have different names and are organized sequentially.

Provide an example of ordinal level measurement.

Grouping shirts by their size (XS, S, M, L, XL).

How is the interval level of measurement defined?

Categories are organized sequentially, all are the same size, and zero does not represent absence.

Give an example of interval level measurement.

Recording the time of day that certain events occur.

What is the definition of the ratio level of measurement?

Categories are sequentially organized, all same size, and zero indicates absence of the variable.

Provide an example of ratio level measurement.

Determining how much fuel is left in a vehicle.

What are the four levels of measurement?

1. Nominal 2. Ordinal 3. Interval 4. Ratio.

What type of data is suitable for interval or ratio scale scores?

Quantitative data, compatible with basic arithmetic and suitable for statistical analysis.

Why are scores from an ordinal scale not compatible with statistical analysis?

Because they are not compatible with basic arithmetic or the most common types of statistical analysis.

What does an ambiguous scale potentially represent?

It may be treated as an interval scale while the differences between categories may not be constant.

How does the nominal scale contribute to measurement comparison?

It reveals whether a difference exists.

What does an ordinal scale indicate about differences?

It indicates the direction of the difference (which is more and which is less).

What information does an interval scale provide about differences?

It determines both the direction and the magnitude of a difference.

What questions should be answered to select a scale of measure?

Can a value be more than another? Is the difference between the values constant? Can a value be zero?