Download Levels of measurement refresher

Levels of measurement
Question 1
Age in years?
 Ratio and discrete
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Is the following statement valid?
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A person who is 44 years old is twice as old
as someone who is 22 years old
Valid – ratio level measures allow us to
identify the magnitude of differences
Levels of measurement
Question 2
Temperature in Celsius?
 Interval and continuous
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Is the following statement valid?


Liquid that is 3°C is three times as hot as the
same liquid at 1°C
Not valid – interval level measures tell us how
much more (2°C in this case) but not
magnitude
Levels of measurement
Question 3
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Religion?
Nominal
Why?
Nominal level measures have no ordering
What is wrong with these categories for measuring
religion?
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Catholic
Anglican
Hindu
Buddhist
Levels of measurement
Question 4
Exam grades i.e. A, B, C etc
 Ordinal
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Is the following statement valid?

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A student who got a ‘B’ got a higher grade
than a student who got a ‘C’
Valid – but with ordinal level measures we
don’t know by how much higher
Levels of measurement
Question 5
You measure the waist (in cm) of a
number of patients. This would be an
example of measurement at the:
nominal level.
B. ordinal level.
C. interval level.
D. ratio level.
A.
Levels of measurement
Question 6
What level of measurement would be
involved in recording a person's national
insurance number?
nominal level
B. ordinal level
C. interval level
D. ratio level
A.
Levels of measurement
Question 7
A variable that can only take certain
values (like whole numbers) is referred
to as a:
continuous variable.
B. discrete variable.
C. constant.
D. statistical variable.
A.
Levels of measurement
Question 8
Identify the usual level of measurement
for each of the following
A. year in school
B. IQ scores
C. life expectancy
D. fatigue
E. cynicism
F. hair colour
G. type of neighbourhood