levels of measurement

Question 1

nominal data

Answer 1

• results in named categories
• items not on linear scale but fall into discrete categories
• eg. total number of aggressive acts

Question 2

ordinal data

Answer 2

• points that lie in order on a scale
• may be numbers or words but distance between them is only representative, scale doesn’t necessarily have equal divisions
• eg. a scale of stress (0-10)

Question 3

interval data

Answer 3

• points on a linear scale with equal divisions
• scale has no real 0
• eg. time taken to complete a word search

Question 4

advantages and disadvantages of nominal data

Answer 4

ad - better than open questions, can plot on graphs
dis - subjective, can’t calculate means etc, categories can be ambiguous

Question 5

advantages and disadvantages of ordinal data

Answer 5

ad - allows comparisons, can calculate means etc.
dis - still quite subjective, one person’s 5 may not be the same as someone else’s

Question 6

advantages and disadvantages of interval data

Answer 6

ad - easily compared
dis - not always possible or easy to obtain