Variable and Types of

Variable
• Example: Moderator variables
• In a study on work experience and salary, you
hypothesize that:
• years of work experience predicts salary, when
controlling for relevant variables,
• gender moderates the relationship between
work experience and salary.
• This means that the relationship between
years of experience and salary would differ
between men and women.
 Mediating Variable
• A mediating variable (or intervening variable) is one that
surfaces between the time the independent variables start
operating to influence the dependent variable and the time
their impact is felt on it.
• A mediator is a way in which an independent variable impacts
a dependent variable. It’s part of the causal pathway of an
effect, and it tells you how or why an effect takes place.
If something is a mediator:
• It’s caused by the independent variable.
• It influences the dependent variable
• When it’s taken into account, the statistical correlation
between the independent and dependent variables is higher
than when it isn’t considered.
 Example: Mediator variables
• In a study on socioeconomic status and reading ability
in children, you hypothesize that parental education
level is a mediator. This means that socioeconomic
status affects reading ability mainly through its
influence on parental education levels.
 Level Of Measurement
• Level of measurement or scale of
measure is a classification that describes
the nature of information within the values
assigned to variables.
 Level Of Measurement
• Although procedures for measurement differ
in many ways, they can be classified using a
few fundamental categories. In a given
category, all of the procedures share some
properties that are important for you to know
about.
• The categories are called "scale types," or just
"scales," and are described in this section.
The Levels of Measurement
• Nominal
• Ordinal
•
•
Interval
Ratio
NOIR
 Nominal Level Data
Numbers are used to classify or categorize
Example:
Employment Classification
Educator
Construction Worker
Manufacturing Worker
Ethnicity
African-American
Anglo-American
Hispanic-American
Four people ran in the race
• We know their names!

Earl Greg Mike Matt

Four people ran in the race
1
We know the order they finished in
2
3
4

Earl Greg Mike Matt

 Interval Measurement
• The interval level of measurement
not only classifies and orders the
measurements, but it also specifies
that the distances between each
interval on the scale are equivalent
along the scale from low interval to
high interval.
 Interval Scale
• 80 degrees is always higher than 50 degrees and the
difference between these two temperatures is the same
as the difference between 70 degrees and 40 degrees.
• Also, the value of 0 is arbitrary because negative
values of temperature do exist – which makes
Celsius/Fahrenheit temperature scale a classic example
of interval scale.
• Interval scale is often chosen in research cases where
the difference between variables is a mandate – which
can’t be achieved using nominal or ordinal scale. 
 Interval Scale
• Here’s the problem with interval scales: they
don’t have a “true zero.”  
• For example, there is no such thing as “no
temperature,” at least not with Celsius. 
• In the case of interval scales, zero doesn’t mean
the absence of value, but is actually another
number used on the scale, like 0 degrees Celsius. 
• Negative numbers also have meaning.  
 Examples
• For example, an interval level of measurement
could be the measurement of anxiety in a
student between the score of 10 and 11, this
interval is the same as that of a student who scores
between 40 and 41.
• A popular example of this level of measurement
is temperature in centigrade, where, for
example, the distance between 940C and 960C is
the same as the distance between 1000C and 1020C.
LIKERT SCALE
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Bipolar Matrix Table
Because of the existence of
true zero value, the ratio
scale doesn’t have negative
values.
 Ratio Scale
• Ratio scale is a type of variable measurement
scale which is quantitative in nature.
• Ratio scale allows any researcher to compare
the intervals or differences.
• Ratio scale possesses a zero point or character
of origin. This is a unique feature of ratio
scale.
• For example, the temperature outside is 0-
degree Celsius. 0 degree doesn’t mean it’s not
hot or cold, it is a value.
 Ratio Scale Examples

• The following are the most commonly used

example for ratio scale:
• 1. What is your height in feet and inches?
• Less than 5 feet.
• 5 feet 1 inch – 5 feet 5 inches
• 5 feet 6 inches- 6 feet
• More than 6 feet
Four people ran in the race
1:45 The race started at 1:30 P.M.

1:51
1:52
2:49

Earl Greg Mike Matt

A. Nominal B. Ordinal C. Interval D. Ratio
A. Nominal B. Ordinal C.
Interval D. Ratio

Finishing order of horse.

 Conclusion

• In summary, nominal variables are used to “name,” or

label a series of values.
•  Ordinal scales provide good information about
the order of choices, such as in a customer satisfaction
survey.  
• Interval scales give us the order of values + the ability to
quantify the difference between each one.  
• Finally, Ratio scales give us the ultimate–order, interval
values, plus the ability to calculate ratios since a “true
zero” can be defined.
Thank You