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    Scales of Measurement

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    Scales of Measurement

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    2. Scales of Measurement (1)

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    6 views13 pages

    Scales of Measurement

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    masresha

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 13

    SCALES OF

    MEASUREMENT

    Samuel D.[MPH/Epidemiology &


    Biostatistics]
    INTRODUCTION
    Measurement:
     Is defined as the assignment of numbers to
    objects or events according to a set of rules.

     The various measurement scales result from


    the fact that measurement may be carried out
    under different sets of rules.

    Variable
     Is any aspect of an individual that is measured
    and take any value for different individuals or
    cases, like blood pressure, or records, like age,
    2

    sex
    TYPES OF VARIABLE
     A first step in choosing how best to display and
    analyze data is to classify the variables into their
    different types, as different methods pertain to
    each.
     The main division is between numerical (or

    Qualitative
    quantitative) variables, categorical (orVariables
    qualitative)
    variables and rates.
    Quantitative • Many characteristics are
    Variables not capable of being
    • It can be measured in measured.
    the usual sense. • Some of them can be
    ordered or ranked.
    for example:
    - The heights of adult For example:
    males, - Classification of people into
    - The weights of socio-economic groups, 3
    preschool children, - Social classes based on
    - The ages of patients income, education, etc.
    QUALITATIVE VARIABLE
     Is a variable or characteristic which cannot be
    measured in quantitative form but can only be
    identified by name or categories,

     For instance
     Place of birth,
     Ethnic group,
     Type of drug,
     Degree of pain (minimal, moderate, severe or
    4
    unbearable).
    QUANTITATIVE VARIABLE

     Is one that can be measured and expressed


    numerically and they can be of two types (discrete or
    continuous).

     The values of a discrete variable are usually whole


    numbers, such as the number of episodes of diarrhoea
    in the first five years of life.

     A continuous variable is a measurement on a


    continuous scale.

     Examples include weight, height, blood pressure, age,


    etc. 5
    TYPES OF SCALE OF MEASUREMENT (TYPES OF
    DATA)

    1. Nominal data

     As the name implies it Consists of “naming” observations or


    classifying them into various mutually exclusive and
    collectively exhaustive categories.

     Which is the lowest measurement scale.

     In this level of measurement, the numbers in the variable are


    used only to classify the data.

     Is used to measure those variables that can be broken down


    into groups. Each group has attributes distinctly different from
    the other. 6
    NOMINAL CONT…
     In this level of measurement, words, letters, and
    alpha-numeric symbols can be used.

     There is no implied order to the categories of


    nominal data.

     The categories of each nominal variable do not


    indicate that one is superior or greater than the
    other. These are mainly classifications that
    separate one group from the other.

    7
    2. ORDINAL DATA
     Whenever observations are not only different from
    category to category but can be ranked according
    to some criterion, they are said to be measured on
    an ordinal scale.

     This level of measurement depicts some ordered


    relationship among the variable’s observations.

     It is possible to rank order the different groups


    because each group shows attributes that are
    convincingly superior or greater than the other or
    vice-versa.
    8
    ORDINAL DATA CONT…
     The different groups follow an order of magnitude,
    there is no discernible distance between them or
    that the distances could vary between each group.

     The spaces or intervals between the categories are


    not necessarily equal.

    Example:
     Order of child in the family(Eldest, second eldest …
    youngest)
     Socioeconomic status of families(Upper, middle, lower)
     Educational attainment(Elementary, high school,
    college, graduate)
     Size(Small, medium, large)
    3. INTERVAL DATA
     Is a more sophisticated scale than the nominal or
    ordinal in that with this scale it is not only possible
    to order measurements, but also the distance
    between any two measurements is known.

     In interval data the intervals between values are the


    same.

     The interval scale of measurement measures


    variables better than the rank order mode of the
    ordinal scale of measurement.

    10
     The interval scale unlike the nominal and ordinal
    scales is a truly quantitative scale.
    4. RATIO DATA
     In this level of measurement, the observations, in
    addition to having equal intervals, can have a value of
    zero as well.

     This scale also has an absolute zero (no numbers exist


    below the zero).

     The zero in the scale makes this type of


    measurement unlike the other types of measurement,
    although the properties are similar to that of the
    interval level of measurement.

     Both interval and ratio data involve measurement.


    Most data analysis techniques that apply to ratio data
    also apply to interval data. 11

     It is the highest level of measurement scale.


    SUMMARY
    ! !
    o u
    Y
    n k
    h a
    T

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