Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
A qualitative relationship is a type of relationship that involves non-numerical characteristics or categories. It's about understanding the nature, attributes, or properties of an object or phenomenon, rather than its quantity.
Related terms
Categorical Variable: This is a variable that can be divided into several categories but has no order or priority.
Ordinal Variable: This is a kind of categorical variable with clear ordering. For example, star ratings for restaurants from 1-5 stars.
Phenomenology: This is the study of phenomena as they appear in our experience, i.e., in our subjective perception.