Categorical data

Definition

Categorical data represents variables that can be divided into groups or categories. These categories are typically names or labels, such as gender, color, or brand.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Categorical data can be either nominal or ordinal, with nominal having no specific order and ordinal having a meaningful order.
2. Frequency tables and bar charts are common ways to display categorical data.
3. In statistical analysis, categorical data often requires different techniques than numerical data, such as chi-square tests.
4. Coding is sometimes used to convert categorical data into numerical form for analysis purposes.
5. Examples of categorical data include eye color, type of vehicle, and marital status.

Review Questions

• What is the difference between nominal and ordinal categorical data?
• How would you visually represent categorical data in a chart?
• Why might you need to code categorical data into numerical form?

Related terms

Nominal Data:

A type of categorical data where the categories do not have a natural order or ranking.

Ordinal Data:

A type of categorical data where the categories have a meaningful order but no consistent difference between them.

Chi-Square Test:

A statistical test used to determine if there is a significant association between two categorical variables.