Data types

Question 1

Nominal data

Answer 1

(lowest info)

• Category membership –
  mutually exclusive categories
• Numbers assigned serve as
  labels but do not indicate
  numerical relationship

-e.g. gender, political party,
religion

Question 2

Ordinal data

Answer 2

(medium-low)

• data can be ranked along
  a continuum
• intervals between ranks
  are not equal

-e.g. race positions,
attractiveness

Question 3

Interval data

Answer 3

(medium-high)

• intervals between
  successive values are equal
• but no ‘true’ zero point
• e.g. shoe size, IQ (0 IQ or 0 shoe size is impossible)

Question 4

Ratio data

Answer 4

(highest)
- highest level of data

• equal intervals and a true
  zero point
• e.g. height, distance.