Variables

Question 1

What is a categorical variable?

Answer 1

• Data consisting of a small number of possible values, each corresponding to a specific category or label (f.x. species: cats, dogs, humans)
• Undercategories: nominal or ordinal

Question 2

What is a nominal variable?

Answer 2

• The categories do not have a natural order
• Eg. gender, race, colours
• Nominal variable with two categories: binary

Question 3

What is a binary variable?

Answer 3

• A nominal variable with two categories (e.g. gender: F/M)

Question 4

What is an ordinal variable?

Answer 4

• A categorical variable with a logical ordering (e.g. rankings in a race: bronze, silver, gold)

Question 5

What is a continuous variable?

Answer 5

• A variable consisting of a large number of possible values, with no particular label attached to any particular value

- Interpretable differences between values

• SPSS: Scale
• Undercategories: interval or ratio

Question 6

What is an interval variable?

Answer 6

• A variable with interpretable differences between variables, but no natural zero (e.g. dates, degrees in celsius)

Question 7

What is a ratio variable?

Answer 7

• A variable with interpretable differences between variables and a natural zero (e.g. age in years, height)