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Measurement levels
In the process of scientific studies, data are gathered on
the different characteristics or traits of the units under
investigation
To facilitate the analysis of these characteristics or traits
a numerical value is assigned to them
This process is called measurement.
Different types of measurement can be used in statistics.
These types can range from assigning numbers as
symbols to having a numerical value
Ex.
Gender
Solid colors
Cloth size
Income data
Nominal data:
The data can be only classified and
counted. No natural order and
numbers have no meaning
Categories should be
mutually exclusive means that an
individual, object or measurement
should be included in one category only
exhaustive means that each individual,
object or measurement must appear in
a category
Ordinal data
The data are ranked or ordered according to the
particular trait they possess.
differences in the characteristics are not reflected in
the differences in measurements.
Example
Educational attainment
Illiterate 1
Primary 2
Preparatory 3
Secondary 4
University
5
Graduate studies 6
Interval data:
The data are scaled according to the amount of
characteristics they possess.
Equal differences in the characteristics are represented by
equal differences in measurements.
Zero is an arbitrary value. It has no zero point meaning zero
does not corresponding to the absence of the characteristic
Examples: shoe size, Height above sea level, Temperature
Ratio data:
The data are scaled according to the amount of
characteristics they possess. Equal differences in the
characteristics are represented by equal differences in
measurements. Zero point is the absence of the
characteristics
Example
The following table presents the main
characteristics of 5 families , what is
the level of measurement for each
characteristic
Satisfacti
Floor in
Place of
Age of the
Serial
on with
the
current
residence
head of the
family
Very
satisfied
Cairo
45
Unsatisfied 6
Alexandria
30
Neutral
Cairo
25
Satisfied
Gharbia
44
Very
Fayoum
36
Statistical Variable
A variable is a characteristic of a
statistical unit being observed that may
assume more than one of a set of values
to which a numerical measure or a
category from a classification can be
assigned.
The main objective of statistical analysis is
to describe the pattern of change in
behavior of this variable from one unit to
the other
Qualitative variables
Quantitative variables
Numbers Quantity
Discrete (Counts)
Continuous (can take any value between two
numbers)
Data Organization
Tabulation
Frequency tables:
It aims to arrange the data into groups
and show the number of occurrence
(frequency) of each group.
The structure of the table depends on
Objective of the study,
Number of observations or data points
Type of variables
For qualitative variables
For quantitative variables (discrete/ Continuous)