Scaling

Question 1

psychological measurement

Answer 1

numbers are assigned to represent quantities of psychological attributes

Question 2

fundamental issues with numbers

Answer 2

• numerals can represent attributes in different ways - depending on the nature of the numeral

Question 3

three numerical properties we must consider

Answer 3

• identity
• order
• quantity

Question 4

the property of identity

Answer 4

A fundamental form of measurement is the ability to reflect ‘sameness versus differetness’

Question 5

rules to follow when sorting people into categories

Answer 5

• to establish a category, the people within it must satisfy the property of identity
• the categories must be mutually exclusive
• the categories must be exhaustive

Question 6

Property of order

Answer 6

• numbers convey information about the relative amount of an attribute people possess
• more informative than property of identity but is still limited - does not convey degree of differences

Question 7

Property of quantity

Answer 7

• provide information about the magnitude of differences between people
• numerals reflect real numbers

Question 8

absolute 0

Answer 8

0 reflects a state in which an attribute has no existence

e.g., behavioural measure - reaction time

Question 9

Relative/arbitrary 0

Answer 9

0 reflects an arbitrary quantity of an attribute. e.g., time (calendar, clock) and temperature (standard thermometer)
- 0 is an arbitrary point on a scale used to measure that specific feature

Question 10

Three ways a measurement can be arbitrary

Answer 10

• unit size (specific weight represented by a kg)
• some units of measurement are not tied to an object (kg can be applied to weigh many objects)
• when they take a physical form, some units can be used to measure different features of an object

Question 11

Nominal scales

Answer 11

Numerals with property of identity are used to label observations sorting behaviours into categories

Question 12

ordinal scales

Answer 12

defines measurement in terms of numerals with property order

- produce ranks in which people are ordered according to the amount of attribute they possess

Question 13

interval scales

Answer 13

• arbitrary zero

- unit of measurement is constant and additive but does not allow for much multiplicative interpretations

Question 14

ratio scales

Answer 14

• absolute zero
• zero indicates an absence of the feature being measured
• higher level of measurement as they provide more information, allowing for sophisticated inferences