Scales
Types of Measurement Scales
Marc Waters
MKT/441
June 9, 2014
Cyndie Shadow
Types of Measurement Scales
Introduction
For this week’s assignment, students are to select four types of types of measurement increasing order of sophistication; they are Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio. These are categories in which numbers are grouped. This paper will also demonstrate how they can be effective in surveys or questionnaires.
Nominal
The number we assign to some object, idea, or behavior is entirely arbitrary, although in some cases a tradition may establish the rules of assignment. If measurements are assigned arbitrary numbers, they are called nominal numbers, and their sole purpose in the analysis is to differentiate an item possessing one characteristic from an item possessing a different characteristic. Nominal data is a type of categorical data in which objects do not have a natural, meaningful order. You can count but not order or measure nominal data. Only calculations based on the frequencies of occurrence are valid. Nominal scales have no numeric properties. Qualitative information is obtained from a nominal scale. This means objects are classified by name only. Counting is the only operation that can be performed on a nominal scale. Examples of nominal questions that may be used are: state of residence; gender; or hair color: blonde, brown, red, and black.
Ordinal
Ordinal data is a type of categorical data in which objects have a natural and meaningful order but no magnitude. You can count and order, but not measure, ordinal data. Calculations based on an ordering process are valid. Ordinal scales are only crude numeric properties; their numbers cannot be added or subtracted. You can rank-order the objects according to whether they possess more, less of the same amount of the variable being measured. Ordinal scale information obtained is rank order. The differences among objects are valid only relative to the other objects measured.
Marc Waters
MKT/441
June 9, 2014
Cyndie Shadow
Types of Measurement Scales
Introduction
For this week’s assignment, students are to select four types of types of measurement increasing order of sophistication; they are Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio. These are categories in which numbers are grouped. This paper will also demonstrate how they can be effective in surveys or questionnaires.
Nominal
The number we assign to some object, idea, or behavior is entirely arbitrary, although in some cases a tradition may establish the rules of assignment. If measurements are assigned arbitrary numbers, they are called nominal numbers, and their sole purpose in the analysis is to differentiate an item possessing one characteristic from an item possessing a different characteristic. Nominal data is a type of categorical data in which objects do not have a natural, meaningful order. You can count but not order or measure nominal data. Only calculations based on the frequencies of occurrence are valid. Nominal scales have no numeric properties. Qualitative information is obtained from a nominal scale. This means objects are classified by name only. Counting is the only operation that can be performed on a nominal scale. Examples of nominal questions that may be used are: state of residence; gender; or hair color: blonde, brown, red, and black.
Ordinal
Ordinal data is a type of categorical data in which objects have a natural and meaningful order but no magnitude. You can count and order, but not measure, ordinal data. Calculations based on an ordering process are valid. Ordinal scales are only crude numeric properties; their numbers cannot be added or subtracted. You can rank-order the objects according to whether they possess more, less of the same amount of the variable being measured. Ordinal scale information obtained is rank order. The differences among objects are valid only relative to the other objects measured.