Levels of measurement

Question 1

What is nominal data ?

Answer 1

• data can be categorized
• frequency of occurrence - tallying and counting the number of times that something occurs
• operationalise categories can’t be rated
• discrete data - shown through bar graphs and pie charts

Question 2

What is ordinal data ?

Answer 2

• data can be put into order (highest to lowest)
• often seen in attitude/rating scales
• continuous data - all about 1 variable
• data is presented in a histogram or line graph

Question 2

What are the central tendency and dispersion of nominal data ?

Answer 2

Central tendency = mode
Dispersion = N/A

Question 3

What is the central tendency and dispersion of ordinal data ?

Answer 3

Central tendency = median
Measure of dispersion = range

Question 4

What is interval data ?

Answer 4

• based on numerical scales that include intervals
• the intervals aren’t subjective but instead mathematical and equal

Question 5

What is the central tendency and dispersion of the interval ?

Answer 5

Central tendency = mean
Measure of dispersion = standard deviation