Level of

Measurement
Examples

Number are represented in
Nominal
sounds like
name.
Nominal =
naming
category
Nominal level of measurement
includes any data that is put into
groups, in which there is no
inherent order. Examples of
nominal data are country of
origin, sex, type of cake, or
sport.

Lowest level of measurement
Provides the least amount of
information
Discrete category; No nature order
Number assignment is random and
has no meaning

Gender: male = 0, female = 1
Favorite color: blue = 1; red = 2; yellow = 3
Group membership: experimental = 1,
placeno = 2, routine = 3
Favorite fruits: Apple = 5, Pear = 3, Durian, =
7, Orange = 9
Martial status, Religion, Type of car driven
Robert Pattinson = 63; Johnny Depp

Favourite Fruit: you cant ordered that I like
durian and adelyn hates durain so Adelyn is
less than me.


Possible measures: mode, modal
percentage, frequency distribution
The values in
an ordinal
scale simply
expressed an
order
Ordinal level of measurement is used to
describe data that has a sense of order,
but for which we cannot be sure that the
distances between the consecutive
values are equal. For example, level of
qualification has a sense of order:
A postgraduate degree is higher than
a Bachelors degree,which is higher
than
a high-school qualification, which is
higher
than no qualification.
There are four steps on the scale, and it
is clear that there is a logical sense of
order. However, we cannot sensibly say
Relative ranking:
Pain scale
Book rating in Amazon:
0 star = 1, 1 star = 2, 2 stars =3,
4 stars = 5, 5 stars = 6
Ranking of athletes in the Olympics
no medal = 1; bronze = 2;
silver = 3; gold = 4
Socioeconomic status:
Low=1, Middle=2, High=3
Favorite restaurant (ranked according to
price)
NTU Canteen B = 1
Pizza Hut = 2
Sky on 57 at MBS = 3
Liking for shopping on a 1-7 scale
Possible measures: All nominal level
test, Mode, Median, Percentile,
Semiquartile range, Rank order
coefficients of correlation
(cannot calculate mean)
that the difference between no
qualification and a high-school
qualification is equivalent to the
difference between the high-school
qualification and a bachelors degree,
even though both of those are
represented by one step up the scale.
Discrete ordered category; Rank
ordering of attributes
Numbers reflect degrees of an
attribute
Unknown distance b/w ranking
(Intervals between numbers are not
necessarily equal)
No true zero

Interval Numbers reflect degrees of an
attribute
Equal intervals between numbers
No true zero (since the score 0 does
not mean the variable doesnt exist)
Celsius temperature scale
(difference b/w 38 & 39 degree =
difference b/w 39 & 49 degreeand 0
degree does not mean the temperate
doesnt exist. It is a point on a scale with
numbers below and above it. )

Maths test score:
0 test score does not indicate that you
have no knowledge about Maths.
But the difference b/w 79 & 80 marks is
equal and measurable to 80 & 81 marks
Ratio

Ratio got the
o so it has
natural zero
value
Numbers reflect degrees of an
attribute
Precise, Ordered, Exact values
Equal intervals between numbers
True zero (when the variable equal
zero, it means there is none of that
variable; not arbitrary)

Natural zero:
Kelvin temperature scale*
Weight, Height, Blood pressure
Number of siblings
Time



* The Kelvin scale is an absolute,thermodynamic temperature scale using as its null point absolute zero, the temperature at which all thermal motion ceases in the
classical description of thermodynamics.

Level of Measurement
Nominal (name)


Ordinal (order)


Interval (has equal interval/
difference b/w numbers)


Ratio (has natural zero)

Nominal scale
assigns name to objects/
events.
Ordinal scale
assigns name to objects/
events.
& give them order in term
of magnitude.
Interval scale
assigns name to objects/
events.
& give them order in term of
magnitude.
& has equal interval/
difference b/w numbers
Ratio scale
assigns name to objects/ events.
& give them order in term of
magnitude.
& has equal interval/ difference
b/w numbers
& has natural (true) zero
e.g. Sigmund Freuds
Ego Defense Mechanism:
Repression=3, Projection=32,
Displacement=12,
Denial = 21, Sublimation = 3
Ranking & Preferences
Class ranking:
(P6.1=1,P6.2=2,P6.3=3-
difference b/w P6.1 &
P6.2 is 10 marks but diff
b/w P6.2 & P6.3 is 8
marks)
Preference for hall:
(hall 17=1, hall 18=2,
hall8=3)
Celsius temperature scale
IQ
Kelvin temperature scale (at 0
Kelvin, there is no energy)
Number of sibling
Height eg. plant grow from seed

Named Yes Yes Yes Yes
Ordered No Yes Yes Yes
Known Difference No No Yes Yes
Natural zero (Zero
means none so zero is
not arbitrary aka
random)
No No No Yes
How to decide the level of measurement?

Level of measurement dictates the statistical test that can be used.
Nominal Ordinal Interval Ratio
Mean, Mode, Median
-Mode Yes Yes
-Median No Yes
-Mean No No
Mathematical operations
-Plus & Subtract No
-Multiply & Divide No

Frequency Distribution Yes
Range No
Standard Deviation No


Number
ordered?
Yes. Equal
distance between
number?
Yes. Has natural
zero?
Yes. [Ratio eg.
Weight]
No. [Interval eg.
Maths test score]
No. [Ordinal eg.
Amazon book
rating]
No. [Nominal eg.
favourite fruit]
Criterion validity
A test is said to have criterion validity is the test score (measure of the test) correlate well with the criterion/ indicator of the construct?
Concurrent validity
A test is said to have concurrent validity if the test score correlate with the criterion/ indicator of the construct at the same time.
Eg. For a test that measures the level of depression, the test is said to have concurrent validity if the test scores correlate well with the current level of depression
experience by the user.
Predictive validity
some time later.
Eg. For a career test, the test is said to have predictive validity if the test scores correlate well with the performance in the career some time later.