Level of measurement

Definition

Level of measurement refers to the type of data and the appropriate statistical methods that can be used. There are four levels: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Nominal level of measurement categorizes data without a specific order.
2. Ordinal level of measurement categorizes data with a meaningful order but no consistent difference between ranks.
3. Interval level of measurement deals with ordered data where the difference between values is meaningful, but there is no true zero point.
4. Ratio level of measurement includes all properties of interval data, plus a true zero point, allowing for meaningful comparisons using ratios.
5. The choice of statistical methods depends on the level of measurement.

Review Questions

• What distinguishes ordinal from nominal levels of measurement?
• Why can't you calculate meaningful ratios with interval-level data?
• Which level of measurement allows for both differences and ratios to be meaningfully interpreted?

Related terms

Nominal Data: Data categorized without any order or ranking; examples include gender, nationality, or hair color.

Ordinal Data: Data categorized in a specific order but without a consistent difference between categories; examples include class rankings or satisfaction ratings.

Interval Data: $Data measured along a scale with equal intervals between points but lacking a true zero point; examples include temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit.$