Is it interval quantitative or ordinal qualitative scale. Identity refers to the assignment of numbers to the values of each variable in a data set. Nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio csc 238 fall 2014 there are four measurement scales or types of data. Psychologist stanley smith stevens developed the bestknown classification with four levels, or scales, of measurement. The chapter also examines three types of measurement scales.
Measurement and measurement scales measurement is the foundation of any. Aug 29, 2016 some variables, measured in different ways, can potentially be measured on several types of scales. Measurement scales recording data in scientific experiments. Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio typologies are misleading. Dec 16, 2012 what are the four statistical scales of measurement and what variables do these measure. When numbers or other symbols are used simply to classify an object, person or characteristic, or to identify the groups to which various objects belong, these numbers or symbols constitute a nominal or classificatory scale. Four types of measurement scales nominal ordinal interval ratio the scales are distinguished on the relationships assumed to exist between objects having different scale values the four scale types are ordered in that all later scales have all the properties of earlier scales plus additional properties. Scales of variable measurement scales of variable measurement variables are measurement using an instrument, device, or computer. Categorical variables have a set of labels for category membership eg, diabetic, nondiabetic. Four types of measurement scales essay 719 words cram. Checklist and q sorts response scales yesorno male or female marital status pain or no pain b. This topic is usually discussed in the context of academic. The nominal scale is a scale of measurement that is used for identification purposes. In fact, all data analysis is broken down into four major measurement scales as described below.
Csc 238 fall 2014 there are four measurement scales or types of data. Quantitative numerical values representing counts or measures. Four types of scales are generally used for marketing research. Level of measurement or scale of measure is a classification that describes the nature of information within the values assigned to variables. In todays article various scale that are used in data analysis are discussed. Types of data and measurement scales flashcards quizlet.
There are four major scales or types of measurement of variables. However, in data mining, those analyses are often overlooked and analyses are per formed that implicitly assume without justi cation that attributes are interval scale. Nominal scales are used for labeling variables, without any quantitative value. The four scale types are ordered in that all later scales have all the properties of earlier scales.
Categorical data and numbers that are simply used as identifiers or names represent a nominal scale of measurement. The measurement scale needs to be very accurate to get the most valid and reliable results. Module 1 covers various types of data and their characteristics. Measurement theory provides analyses to determine the scale types of attributes. Pdf measurement and measurement scales researchgate. In the course of gathering your data, you should be very well familiar with the different statistical scales of measurement. Types of measurement scales in research and statistics. The following article enumerates and describes the four statistical scales of measurement and provides examples with exercises.
Measurement is defined in terms of the relationship to related factors and brief illustration of variables and types of data provided, differentiating. Measurement refers to the assignment of numbers in a meaningful way, and understanding measurement. Measurement scale, in statistical analysis, the type of information provided by numbers. These include the identification of categorical or qualitative versus quantitative data, crosssectional versus timeseries data. This allows measurement of attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions, and provides a means of quantifying the data. The scale of the variable measured drastically affects the type of analytical techniques that can be used on the data, and what conclusions can be drawn from the data. Measurement scales are ubiquitous throughout scientific research, especially among the disciplines of social sciences. A good example is raceethnicity has values 1white, 2hispanic, 3americanindian, 4black, 5asian, 6other. Scales of measurement refers to the type of scale on which the dv is measured certain statistics can be calculated on some scales, but not others four scales. Types of data, measurement, and scales prof dr zainudin awang unisza 106 the secondary data sources secondary data is the data obtained from historical information such as company. Each level of measurement scale has specific properties that determine the various.
In statistics, the variables or numbers are defined and categorized using different scales of measurements. The scale of the variable measured drastically affects the type of. The scale of measurement depends on the variable itself. Likerttype scales are assumed to have equal units as the categories move from most negative to most positive. Can be shown with a distribution, or summarized with an average, etc. It consists of assignment of factschoices to various alternative categories which are usually. Scales of measurement nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. The four scales of measurement are nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. You also need to know which data type you are dealing with to choose the right. Jan 08, 2015 these four measurement scales include.
Having a good understanding of the different data types, also called measurement scales, is a crucial prerequisite for doing exploratory data analysis eda, since. In this article, let us have a detailed look at the different scales of measurement. I think, most of the time, these surveys are just ordering responses lowest to highest and not fulfilling. The data can be defined as being one of the four scales. Measurement scales that preserve meaning under a wide variety of. Numbers on the back of a baseball jersey and your social security number are examples of nominal data. Statistics module 1 video 4 types of data and measurement. Nominal data gray brown finished in top 10 3 7 finished in last 10 7 3 ordinal data color of horse gray brown 1 4 2 5 3 6 7 11 8 12 9 10 14 15 18 16 19 17 20 interval sales intervals have equal sizes. An ordinal scale of measurement represents an ordered series of relationships or rank order.
Measurement scale is an important part of data collection, analysis, and presentation. Traditional classification statisticians call an attribute on which observations differ a variable. Qualitative two levels of qualitative data nominal level by name. Statistics module 1 video 3 types of data and measurement. In the data collection and data analysis, statistical tools differ from one data type to another. Aug 10, 2017 for quantitative data, we examine the use of frequency distributions, histograms and stemandleaf displays.
The following article enumerates and describes the four statistical scales of measurement. Nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio research writing 2. For quantitative data, we examine the use of frequency distributions, histograms and stemandleaf displays. Measurement scales and their summary statistics bmj. It is critical because it relates to the types of statistics you can. Statistics deals with data and data are the result of measurement the type of measuring scale. Level of measurement overview, types of scales, examples. The concept of continuous does not apply to a nominal scale. This allows measurement of attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions, and. A nominal scale, as the name implies, is simply some placing of data into categories, without any order or structure. Provides an order, but cant get a precise mathematical difference between levels. With some reformatting of the earlier data, we can get a count of medals for each year. Nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio scales with examples questionpro. Measurement quantitative and qualitative differences scale.
There are four measurement scales or types of data. Measurement, the process of associating numbers with physical quantities and phenomena. A nominal scale is the 1 st level of measurement scale in which the numbers serve as tags or labels to classify or identify. Categorical data are measured on nominal scales which merely assign. The lowest measurement level you can use, from a statistical point of view, is a nominal scale. In ordinal scales, there is an ordered relationship between the variables observations. Interval scales is the scale that the order is known along with the difference between each value. Scales of measurement and presentation of statistical data. By knowing the different levels of data measurement, researchers are able to choose the best method for statistical analysis. In his seminal paper on the theory of scales of measurement 1946, stevens presents a hierarchy of data scales based on invariance of their meaning under different classes of transformations. The scales are distinguished on the relationships assumed to exist between objects having different scale values the four scale types are ordered in that all later scales have all the properties of earlier scales plus additional properties. In physical science, the measurement needs to be very accurate and precise but in social science, the measurement cannot be as accurate and it is a lot more subjective.
This is the most limited type of measurement involving classification of data e. The measurement of data is not so easy and requires a scale to be measured. Having a good understanding of the different data types, also called measurement scales, is a crucial prerequisite for doing exploratory data analysis eda, since you can use certain statistical measurements only for specific data types. Several factors, related to measurement scale, need to be considered before making the application decision of a measurement scale. Each scale of measurement has certain properties which in turn determines the appropriateness for use of certain statistical analyses. However, in data mining, those analyses are often overlooked and analyses are per formed that implicitly assume. These scales are just numerical and are the least restrictive of all the scales.
Ultimage guide to data measurement scale types and level in research and statistics. Each level of measurement scale has specific properties that determine the various use of statistical analysis. Creating scales from multiple questions possible to create scales from multiple questions can measure activities or attitudes often treated as interval data mean or median can be reported. Aug 10, 2017 module 1 covers various types of data and their characteristics. An ordinal scale of measurement represents an ordered. There are essentially 2 main types of measurement scales. Qualitative, also known as categorical, data cannot be measured on a numerical. In physical science, the measurement needs to be very accurate and precise but in social science, the. Scales of measurement refer to ways in which variablesnumbers are defined and categorized.
In addition to the classification of measurement scales, other related terms are used to describe types of data. Ordinal scales are what focuses on the order of the values. While a nominal scale may contain numbers arbitrarily, each number in an ordinal scale represents a rank of order. Psychologist stanley smith stevens developed the bestknown. Understanding the mathematical properties and assigning proper scale to the variables is important because they determine which mathematical operations are allowed. A topic which can create a great deal of confusion in social and educational research is that of types of scales used in measuring behaviour. Based on whether data have a natural order or natural distance, they can be measured on a nominal, ordinal, or interval scale. Four statistical scales of measurement simplyeducate. Nominal data are categorical data where the order of the categories is arbitrary.
Pdf scales of measurement and presentation of statistical data. Ordinal scales are the simplest of attitudemeasuring scales used in marketing research. There are 4 scales of measurement, namely nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio, all variables fall in one of these scales. What are the four statistical scales of measurement and what variables do these measure. Ratio scales are the ultimate nirvana when it comes to data. Ordinal scales present more information than nominal scales and are, therefore, a higher level of measurement.
Highlight scales such as the nominal, interval, ordinal and. Creating scales from multiple questions possible to create scales from multiple questions can measure activities or attitudes often treated as interval data mean or median can be reported sometimes scaled to 1, 10, or 100 reliability of scale should, ideally, be checkedcan be checked examples. For bivariate data we learn how to develop crosstabulations, scatter diagrams, and side. In ordinal scales, there is an ordered relationship between the variables. It consists of assignment of factschoices to various alternative categories which are usually exhaustive as well mutually exclusive. These are simply ways to categorize different types of variables. Although likerttype scales are very common when a survey instruments are used to. Nominal data are categorical data where the order of the categories is. Traditionally, statisticians talk of four types of measurement scales. Scales of measurement refers to the type of scale on which the dv is measured certain statistics can be calculated on some scales, but not others four scales nominal ordinal interval ratio 1 2. Measurement is defined in terms of the relationship to related factors and brief illustration of variables and types of data provided, differentiating between scientific terms, including concepts. The scales that are used for measurement is not the same for all types of data and varies. There are different levels of measurement in statistics and data measured using them can be broadly classified into qualitative and quantitative data. In an ordinal scale, products or objects are rated based on their importance within a given category.