Measurement Scales That Are Used Essay

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If your data only needs to be classified into two areas, using a nominal scale is the easiest. There is no reason to get too complicated if all you need to know is if people are part of one organization or another.

Question 2 -- 150 words

The choice of which measurement tool to use when collecting data depends almost entirely on the intended use of the data. Several ways of measuring data -- measurement scales -- are available. Nominal scales measure classification only, where something fits into a category. Ordinal scales measure classification as well as ranking order, from either best to worst or lesser to greater value. Interval scales combine all of the above measurements but with the added feature of having the intervals between all of the choices be equal. A ratio measurement scale includes, again, all of the qualities of the previous scales plus a definitive natural origin. A percentage, for example, is a ratio measurement because the lowest possible percentage is 0% and all of the intervals between percentage points are equal.

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To choose a measurement scale, first decide what you plan to do with the data and then decide what scale to use.

The primary measurement scales in data collection are nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. From first to last, they get more complex and allow the researcher to do more complicated mathematics with his or her data. Nominal data is useful if a researcher merely wants a simple description of something. Is the soda caffeinated or not? Is the respondent a senior citizen or not? Ordinal data classifies, like nominal data, but the survey-taker is also able to rank the responses. This allows the researcher to both classify the information and figure out which is best. Interval and ratio measurements are the most complicated. Interval scales are useful for figuring out averages and group tendencies. Ratios are good for hard and fast measurements and are very useful in business research and not so much in behavioral sciences. All of the measurement scales can be used in the same survey, depending on….....

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