Levels of Measurement

Running head: LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT 1
Levels of Measurement
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT 2
Levels of Measurement
Statistical investigations usually require in-depth data collection and analysis. For this
reason, a researcher ought to possess a clear grasp of the fundamental levels of measurement. As
a rule, a research variable (especially in quantitative experiments) has four levels of
measurement including nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio (Newcomer, Hatry, & Wholey, 2015).
Psychologist Stanley Stevens defines a level of measurement as a cataloging process that
describes information based on the values assigned to the individual variables. When viewed
from this lens, a level of measurement is a differentiation method that shows information
variations.
The Four Levels of Measurement
Nominal Level. This first level of measurement is used primarily for classification. One
would be right to assert that it provides the least amount of details regarding a variable. It is often
represented by alpha-numeric symbols or letters (Meaningful Evidence, 2015). A survey that
explores lifestyle trends for three gender classes including male, female, and transgender appears
quite exemplary. The investigator in such a scenario can assign letters M, F, and T – respectively
– to the three variables. These letters would be considered the nominal level of measurement.
Ordinal Level. Like the nominal level of measurement, this one classifies the information
(Newcomer, Hatry, & Wholey, 2015). A classroom performance rating system appears quite
exemplary. Typically, a teacher assigns scores alongside student names during academic
performance grading. The student names represent the nominal level of measurement while their
scores mark the ordinal level of measurement (Norman, 2010). For the sake of this argument,
consider the ranks 1-n (where n is defined by the total number of students): note that each