VARIABLES

AND MEASUREMENT SCALES

WEEK 2
 VARIABLES, MEASUREMENT AND SCALES

• VARIABLE: an attribute of an individual/person

which is different from other individuals;
a characteristic on which observational units differ;

• MEASUREMENT: the process of assigning numbers

of observations of a variable; These numbers have
characteristics which can roughly classified into one
of four measurement scales: nominal, ordinal,
interval, or ratio.
 TYPES OF DATA
• CONTINUOUS DATA • DISCRETE DATA
– Values that increment in-
between (e.g. meters,
liters, grams)
– The data most of us
think of most we think of
“jobs”
– No in-between values
(e.g. dice, number of
dependents)
– Categories (e.g. brands
 Toyota, Honda …
– Distinct either/or result
(e.g. head vs tail, pass vs
fail)
 TYPES OF DATA

Nominal/categorical

• Qualitative
Ordinal

vs
Interval
• Quantitative
Ratio
 Nominal Scale
naming, used to label, classify, or categorize data
(gender, SSN, number on athletic jersey, locker
number, address).

Nominal scale represents a nonordered

classification.
 Ordinal Scale
classification function plus observations are
ordered, distance between adjacent values not
necessarily the same (olympic medals, finishing
place in a race, class rank).

Ordinal scale represents a sequential ordering of

the things measured in relation to amount or
degree of the variable.
 Interval Scale
classification, ordered plus equal intervals
between adjacent units (all test scores are
assumed to be at the interval scale, temperature
Fahrenheit, temperature Centigrade).

An interval scale has equal units of

measurement but an arbitrary zero point.
 Ratio Scale
all of the above plus the scale has an absolute
zero, a meaningful zero. Most physical measures
are at the ratio level of measurement (height,
weight, distance, time, pressure, temperature
on the Kelvin scale - absolute zero is -273
degrees Centigrade).

A ratio scale is an interval scale that has an

absolute zero.
 MEASUREMENT SCALES

VARIABLE SCALES
PROPERTIES
Nominal Ordinal Interval Ratio

Classify objects √ √ √ √
Rank objects √ √ √
Equal interval √ √
True zero point √