NR 547 FINAL EXAM REVISION
SUMMARY
achievement
acquired knowledge and skills
aptitude
potential to acquire new knowledge and skills
variables
anything that can take on different values
measurement
assigning a value to a variable so we can better understand or
compare it
levels of measurement
nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio
nominal
- all we know about a variable is categorical
- least descriptive
- signifies difference; can only belong to one category
- no comparisons to other groups
- qualitative
- political party, classroom teacher, diagnosis
ordinal
, - like nominal, we know there are differences
- now able to rank variables on a continuum of "more or less"
but still do NOT KNOW how much more or less
- rating scales for pain (someone says a 4, we know they are in
more pain than a 1, but we don't know much much more pain)
- running race (sally got 1st, john got 2nd and tim got 3rd, but
we don't know their times or how much faster 1st place was
than 2nd)
interval
- most popular level of measurement in social research
- assign a value on an underlying continuum with equal
intervals
- we now know how much more or less when ranking
- no absolute zero or complete lack of something
- running race (we now have the order they finished in AND
their exact times)
- can tell how much more reading ability someone has than
someone else
ratio
- possesses all of the info as the other scales (difference,
rank/order, equal intervals) PLUS an absolute zero or total lack
of what is being measured
- physical measurements or things being counted
- uncommon in social research (don't have zero of a trait, ability,
etc)
- would not use to measure intelligence because no one has
SUMMARY
achievement
acquired knowledge and skills
aptitude
potential to acquire new knowledge and skills
variables
anything that can take on different values
measurement
assigning a value to a variable so we can better understand or
compare it
levels of measurement
nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio
nominal
- all we know about a variable is categorical
- least descriptive
- signifies difference; can only belong to one category
- no comparisons to other groups
- qualitative
- political party, classroom teacher, diagnosis
ordinal
, - like nominal, we know there are differences
- now able to rank variables on a continuum of "more or less"
but still do NOT KNOW how much more or less
- rating scales for pain (someone says a 4, we know they are in
more pain than a 1, but we don't know much much more pain)
- running race (sally got 1st, john got 2nd and tim got 3rd, but
we don't know their times or how much faster 1st place was
than 2nd)
interval
- most popular level of measurement in social research
- assign a value on an underlying continuum with equal
intervals
- we now know how much more or less when ranking
- no absolute zero or complete lack of something
- running race (we now have the order they finished in AND
their exact times)
- can tell how much more reading ability someone has than
someone else
ratio
- possesses all of the info as the other scales (difference,
rank/order, equal intervals) PLUS an absolute zero or total lack
of what is being measured
- physical measurements or things being counted
- uncommon in social research (don't have zero of a trait, ability,
etc)
- would not use to measure intelligence because no one has
