Lecture-2: Measurement

scales
DS-2420 Statistics for Social Science
Jarin Musarat Chowdhury
Lecturer
Department of Development Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals
 Qualitative and Quantitative data
Qualitative data are those that expresses a ‘quality’ of a sample.
Examples-
Gender (Male/Female), Color (Red/Yellow/Green), Smokers (Yes/No)

Quantitative data are those that expresses ‘quantity’ and can be

measured in quantitative units.
Examples:
Height (153 cm, 160 cm), Temperature (180°, 140°), Age (22, 23)
 Cont.

•Words vs. Numbers: Qualitative data tells you “what,” quantitative data tells
you "how much."
•Descriptions vs. Measurements: Qualitative data focuses on qualities;
quantitative data focuses on quantities.
The number of hours teenagers spend playing video games each week.Quantitative
The different emotions people feel when watching a horror movie.Qualitative
The colors and patterns on butterflies in a rainforest.Qualitative
The average lifespan of different dog breeds Quantitative
 Measurement Scales

Measurement scales are the ways in which categorize, count and measure
data.
Examples-
Areas of residence Rank of an exam-
Urban, sub-urban, village, hillside First, second, third, fourth
 Types of measurement scale
1. Nominal
2. Ordinal
3. Interval
4. Ratio
 Nominal
• Nominal Scales are the simplest type of measurement, classifying data into distinct
categories without any inherent order or ranking.
• Imagine sorting colorful candies - their colors (red, green, blue) fall into separate groups,
but you wouldn’t say one color is “greater” than another.
• Examples-
• Blood type: A, B, AB, O
• Marital status: Single, married, divorced, widowed
• Vehicle type: Car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle
• Country of origin: India, China, USA, France
• Eye color: Brown, blue, green, hazel
 Characteristics of Nominal data
• Divide data into mutually exclusive categories. Each item belongs to one and only one category. For
example, classifying students by hair color (blonde, brunette, red, etc.) or political affiliation
(democrat, republican, independent).
• Nominal scales don't imply any ranking or order between categories. For example, saying someone
has blue hair vs. red hair doesn't mean one is "better" or "worse".
• Deal with qualitative data, meaning they describe characteristics or attributes rather than quantities.
These attributes can be colors, types, categories, or even labels.
• Due to the lack of order, you can only perform limited mathematical operations like counting the
number of items in each category or calculating percentages.
• Nominal scales are valuable for summarizing and describing data distributions. They provide
information about the frequency or proportion of each category within a dataset.
 Ordinal scale
Ordinal scales take things a step further than nominal scales by introducing an order, but still
fall short of measuring precise intervals. Imagine ranking trophies - you know first place is
"better" than second, but you can't say how much better.
Examples-
Military ranks: Private, Corporal, Sergeant, Major
Customer satisfaction ratings: Very dissatisfied, dissatisfied, neutral, satisfied, very satisfied
Educational levels: Elementary school, high school, college, postgraduate
Pain intensity: Mild, moderate, severe, excruciating
Economic class: Lower class, middle class, upper class
• Unlike nominal scales, ordinal scales allow you to rank data points in a specific
order. This creates categories with a clear sequence, like shirt sizes (small,
medium, large) or movie ratings (1-5)
• While there's an order, the distance between ranks is not necessarily equal. The
difference between "good" and "excellent" on a movie rating might be perceived
differently than the difference between "small" and "medium" shirt sizes.
• Ordinal scales can accommodate both qualitative data (e.g., movie ratings) and
quantitative data (e.g., shirt sizes). However, the lack of equal intervals limits
analysis to relative comparisons, not precise calculations.
• Ordinal scales are valuable for understanding general trends and ordering data
points. They offer insights into preferences, opinions, and relative positions within
a dataset.
 Interval
Interval scales take us a step closer to precise measurement by not only ranking data
points but also having equal intervals between them. Imagine a thermometer - each
degree change represents a consistent increase in temperature, allowing for accurate
comparisons.
Examples-
Temperature (Celsius or Fahrenheit): Allows comparing temperature changes and
calculating averages.
IQ scores: Provides a ranking of intellectual ability with equal intervals between
scores.
• The key feature of interval scales is the presence of equal intervals between ranks. This means the
difference between any two points on the scale is the same throughout. For example, the difference
between 60°C and 70°C on a thermometer is the same as the difference between 20°C and 30°C.
• Unlike ratio scales, interval scales typically lack a true zero point. This means that zero might not represent
the complete absence of the measured quantity. For example, 0°C doesn't mean there's no heat at all, just a
different point on the temperature scale.
• Interval scales deal with quantitative data, where values represent actual amounts or magnitudes. These can
be measured units like temperature, time, or distance.
• Due to the equal intervals, you can perform more complex mathematical operations with interval data
compared to nominal and ordinal scales. This includes adding, subtracting, and calculating means,
medians, and standard deviations.
• Interval scales are highly valuable for analyzing trends, comparing magnitudes, and understanding
relationships between variables. They allow for accurate calculations and deeper insights into data patterns.
 Ratio
Ratio scales represent the pinnacle of measurement, building on all the strengths of previous
scales while offering the most precise and informative data. Imagine weighing gold - not only
can you rank and compare weights, but the zero point truly signifies no weight at all.
Examples:
Weight (kg or lbs): Allows calculating weight ratios and comparing growth rates.
Length (m or ft): Enables measuring distances, areas, and volumes with precise comparisons.
Speed (Km/hr) : Facilitates calculating speeds
Income (dollars or euros): Enables calculating salary ratios, wealth distribution, and economic
changes.
• Like interval scales, ratio scales have equal intervals between ranks, allowing for accurate comparisons and
calculations.
• Unlike interval scales, ratio scales possess a true zero point, meaning zero represents the complete absence
of the measured quantity. For example, zero weight on a scale truly indicates no object is present.
• Similar to interval scales, ratio scales deal with quantitative data representing.
• Due to the combination of equal intervals and a true zero, ratio data allows for the widest range of
mathematical operations. You can perform all calculations possible on interval data, plus multiplication,
division, and calculating ratios and proportions.
• Ratio scales provide the most precise and informative data for analyzing trends, relationships, and
comparisons. They allow for calculations like rate of change, growth rates, and efficiency ratios, offering
deeper insights into complex data patterns.
Nominal measurement measures nominal, mutually exclusive, non-ranking
data.
Ordinal measure is nominal data+ ranked order with no exact interval
Interval measure is ordinal data+ exact intervals with no “true zero” point
Ratio measure is all of the above+ “true zero” point
Do the data express a qualitative order?
Yes- Nominal data
No- Further ask- Do the numbers have equal intervals?
No- Ordinal data
Yes- Further ask- Do the data has a “true zero” point?
No- Interval data
Yes- Ratio data
ODI Ranking of cricketers Ordinal

Temperature of different districts of Bangladesh Interval

Weights of selected cell phones Ratio

Salaries of employees of Pathao Ratio

Rating of customer service (Poor, fair, good, excellent)Ordinal

Categories of magazines in an office (sports, science, Nominal

entertainment)
• Blood Group- Nominal
• Number of Male and female members under
each category of blood group- Nominal
• Prevalence rate- Ratio
• The number of men associated with each blood group is a count, representing the
frequency of that group in the data. Nominal scales categorize data into distinct
groups without any inherent order or meaningful differences between them.
Since the number of men only represents counts within each group, it does not
have any inherent order or meaningful differences beyond the counts themselves.
Therefore, the number of men associated with each blood group is measured on
a nominal scale.

• In other words, the number of men in each blood group is simply a label or
category, and there is no meaningful way to compare the number of men in one
group to the number of men in another group.
• The prevalence rate of diabetes is a percentage of the population that has
diabetes within each blood group. Ratio scales are used to measure data
that has a true zero point and can be compared meaningfully. The
prevalence rate data has a true zero point (0% prevalence), and it makes
sense to say that one blood group has a higher or lower prevalence rate
than another. For example, it is meaningful to say that blood group B has a
higher prevalence rate of diabetes than blood group O. Therefore, the
prevalence rate data is measured on a ratio scale.
Worker Wage Age Religion Days Family size Education
absent level

1 93 25 Muslim 26 Small Higher

2 66 29 Muslim 16 Large None

3 96 32 Hindu 14 Small Primary

4 69 39 Muslim 18 Medium Secondary