4 levels of measurement in social science research

Now, our understanding of gender has evolved to encompass more attributes including transgender, non-binary, or genderqueer. 82. In February 2010, the National Research Council convened a workshop to investigate the feasibility of developing well-grounded common metrics to advance behavioral and social science research, both in terms of advancing the development of theory and increasing the utility of research … Stevens also was an authority on the physics of sensory perception, especially hearing. A precept of conducting quantitative empirical research is the ability to capture numerical representations (data) of phenomena and test relationships among them. For example, suppose you are conducting a study on cigarette smoking and you collect how many packs of cigarettes three smokers consume in a day. a player with number … But first, you have to find a way to measure the levels of depression in people. Remember, operationalization is only a process in quantitative research. Then we move on to the reliability of measurement, including consideration of true score theory and a variety of reliability estimators. For example, the first stump may breach the water by 24 centimeters, the second by 26 centimeters, and the third by 28 centimeters. for example, jersey numbers in basketball are measures at the nominal level. December 1982; Contemporary Sociology 11(1) DOI: 10.2307/2066656. 9.3 Issues to consider for all interview types, 9.4 Types of qualitative research designs, 9.5 Spotlight on UTA School of Social Work. The measurement scale needs to be very accurate to get the most valid and reliable results. The level of measurement of a variable is nothing but the mathematical nature of a variable or, how a variable is measured. Ordinal or Ranking Scales 3. the implications of measurement for evidence-based practice. 80 Substance Abuse 80 Depression 80 Poverty 81. A brief account of each scaling type is given below; Nominal Scales: Nominal scale is the simplest form of measurement. Each level corresponds to how this measurement can be treated mathematically. The measurement of human behaviour Psychology, social psychology, sociology, and other social sciences study variables that cannot be observed. Before you collect data during a research study, consider carefully which of the 4 types of data you are collecting and how you will use them once you have them. to indicate what attribute the person feels describes them best, Mutual exclusivity- a person cannot identify with two different attributes simultaneously, Nominal- level of measurement that is categorical and those categories cannot be mathematically ranked, though they are exhaustive and mutually exclusive, Ordinal- level of measurement that is categorical, those categories can be rank ordered, and they are exhaustive and mutually exclusive, Ratio level- level of measurement in which attributes are mutually exclusive and exhaustive, attributes can be rank ordered, the distance between attributes is equal, and attributes have a true zero point, Variable- refers to a grouping of several characteristics. These scales may have their basis in nominal, ordinal, interval , or ratio types of data. Who is S. S. Stevens? Interval-level variables are not particularly common in social science research, but their defining characteristic is that we can say how much more or less one attribute differs from another. It can be thought of as a grouping of several characteristics. 10.2 Strengths and weaknesses of unobtrusive research, 10.3 Unobtrusive data collected by the researcher, 12.3 The uniqueness of the social work perspective on science. Rather, that person could reasonably be described as brown-haired. That is what constitutes a nominal level of measurement. Yes, you know that a subject with a score of eight on the scale is more extraverted than someone with a score of seven, but those numbers exist only for comparison between each other, not in comparison to some absolute score of zero extraversion. We can then revisit how this process works when we examine specific methods of data collection in later chapters. In the social sciences, there is a popular example often taught to students on this distinction. Unlike with the nominal and ordinal scales, you can make relative distance measurements among objects using the interval scale. Broadly, there are 4 levels of measurement for the variables – 1. In the social sciences, scaling is the process of measuring or ordering entities with respect to quantitative attributes or traits. The ordinal scale contains all of the information captured in the nominal scale but it also ranks data from lowest to highest. 4. Using interval scaling, you have no indication of the absolute lengths of the stumps. Stanford Libraries' official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Consequently, no information exists in the ordinal scale to indicate the distance one smoker is from the others except for the ranking. Statisticians categorize measurements according to levels. One way of looking at the way variables are measured is based on the Frequently Asked Questions About Level of Measurement. We shouldn’t confuse our labeling of attributes or measuring of a variable with the objective truth “out there.”  Another example could be children of parents from different races were often classified as one race or another in the past, even if they identified with both cultures equally. Such measures are latent variables in social science research. Four Levels of Measurement and the Statistics Appropriate to Each Level Part 7 of this volume includes scales that measure a wide variety of social and behavioral variables. Equal intervals: This means that a unit difference on the measurement scale is the same regardless of where that unit difference occurs on the scale. level of measurement in social sciences. Nominal measures are categorical, and those categories cannot be mathematically ranked. Interval Scales 4. Although the drinking statistics sound scary, we need to be clear about what they mean before we march off to 87. The final topic is to assess the validity and reliability of these measures. In the social sciences, … In 1946, Harvard University psychologist Stanley Smith Stevens developed the theory of the four levels of measurement when he published an article in Science entitled, "On the Theory of Scales of Measurement." We’ll look at four commonly used scales in social science research and how they are constructed. No data is captured that can place the measured object on any kind of scale say, for example, on a continuum from one to ten. Examples of ratio-level variables include age and years of education. Instead of listing all of the possible combinations of colors, perhaps you might include a list of attributes like all black, all brown, all blonde, all red, multi-color, other to include people with more than one hair color, but keep everyone in only one category. These measures are often classified in terms of their levels of measurement… In physical science, the measurement needs to be very accurate and precise but in social science, the measurement cannot be as accurate and it is a lot more subjective. The remaining three levels of measurement are used for quantitative variables. The experimental (scientific) method depends on physically measuring things. measurement. Note that even though these have a rank order to them (not at all satisfied is certainly worse than highly satisfied), we cannot calculate a mathematical distance between those attributes. 89. These four levels of measurement include nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Make sure you consider carefully the level at which you collect data, especially regarding what statistical procedures you intend to use once you have them. Some research outcomes require accurate data which certain levels of measurement cannot give; thus inappropriate choice might result to inaccurate results. The rules used to assign numerals objects define the kind of scale and level of measurement. Nominal or Classificatory Scales: When numbers or other symbols are used simply to classify an object, person or […] Latent Construct, Variable, Social Science, Unobservable, Instrument, Define, Microsoft Word, Track Changes, Compare Documents, Edit, Revise. Take extraversion captured using a psychometrically sound survey instrument. The nominal scale is the lowest form of measurement because it doesn’t capture information about the focal object other than whether the object belongs or doesn’t belong to a category; either you are a smoker or not a smoker, you attended college or you didn’t, a subject has some experience with computers, an average amount of experience with computers, or extensive experience with computers. The measurement properties that the values in a variable can possess are: Magnitude: This means that you can order the values in a variable from highest to lowest. Clearly, there is a point at which trying to achieve exhaustiveness can get to be too much. (Interval and Ratio levels of measurement are sometimes called Continuous or Scale). But, you might object, "political affiliation" and "religious affiliation"-and a host of other things social researchers are interested in, such as preju- dice or compassion-have some reality. It turns out that the first subject smokes one pack a day, the second smokes two packs a day, and the third smokes ten packs a day. ex) Thermometer, SAT, GRE scores. Now that we have figured out how to define, or conceptualize, our terms we’ll need to think about operationalizing them. But you could say you are not very likely to recommend the company. Concepts. Indirect measurements are mostly used in social science. S. S. (Stanley Smith) Stevens 1906-1973 is best known in the social sciences for his work on levels of measurement. First, you have to understand the fundamental ideas involved in measuring. The distinction between interval and ratio scales is an important one in the social sciences. In order to measure psychological traits we use behaviors as a basis for measurement. Measurement is the assignment of scores to individuals so that the scores represent some characteristic of the individuals Richness, happiness, good life, poverty etc can be measured with the support of different indirect indicators. Conceptualization in Practice . 9.1 Qualitative research: What is it and when should it be used? If a person insists that their hair color is light burnt sienna, it is not your responsibility to list that as an option. All Rights Reserved. The nominal scale forms the basis for analyses such as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) because those analyses require that some category is compared to at least one other category. The nominal scale (also called dummy coding) simply places people, events, perceptions, etc. Collect at the wrong level, and you will end up having to adjust your research, design, and analyses. Limitations of Measurement in the Social Sciences In Chapter 5 we discussed the potential benefits that can be derived from a system of measurement. Here's a set of pages that you may find useful in deciding what and how to measure. Often we want to describe respondents in terms of social characteristics such as marital status, education, and age. Michigan State University MSU Libraries. Interval Scale 4. This can get a little confusing when using Likert scales. Levels of measurement in statistics can be split into two groups: qualitative and quantitative data. Level of measurement or scale of measure is a classification that describes the nature of information within the values assigned to variables. Type # 1. For example, the variable hair color would contain attributes like blonde, brown, black, red, gray, etc. (e.g. Michigan eLibrary. no ordering of the cases is implied. Levels of Variable Measurement. It involves identifying the specific research procedures we will use to gather data about our concepts. The ordinal scale has at least one major advantage over the nominal scale. This framework of distinguishing levels of measurement originated … Weight is a ratio variable. Theory and research are interrelated; the dichotomy between theory and research is an artificial. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Introduction An important part of social science research is the quantification of human behaviour — that is, using measurement instruments to observe human behaviour. As it turns out, it is always possible to transform data from a higher level to a lower level but never the other way around. You look around and see two trees standing close together. low, med, high), but levels are quantitative in nature and the differences in levels have consistent meaning. " The concept of measurement has been developed in conjunction with the concepts of numbers and units of measurement. In Levels of Measurement, I explain the meaning of the four major levels of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. However, the distances that the stumps extend out of the water offer no indication of how long the stumps actually are. Levels of measurement describe the relationship between the numeric values researchers assign during measurement. Perhaps listing a category for other color would suffice to make our list of colors exhaustive. Measurement in Qualitative Research. This is one reason why under-standing how variables are measured, or their “level of measurement,” is an extremely important element in hypothesis development, research design, data analysis, and the interpretation of results. Political Science As a Social Science Research Design Levels of Measurement Displaying Categorical Data Varieties of Data More About Measurement Contingency Table Analysis Control Variables Discriptive ... there are different levels of measurement. After all, we make statements about them, such as "In Hap- … By the chapter’s end, you should have a good understanding of measurement, the first of the three legs (measurement, generalizability, and causality) on which a research project’s validity rests. 3.2.4 Ratio scale measures 3.3 Discrete versus continuous variables 3.4 Measurement errors 3.5 Choices over levels of measurement 3.6 The relationship between level of measurement and statistics 3.7 Conclusions 3.8 Further reading 50 Breakwell-3389-Ch-03.qxd 2/7/2006 7:10 PM Page 50 In psychological measurement and research design, there are four major scales of measurement used to talk about variables. There are important distinctions between different kinds of … Nominal or Classificatory Scales 2. A variable has one of four different levels of measurement: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, or Ratio. Combining Measurement Operations. Let’s think about the attributes contained in the variable hair color. In social science, our variables can be one of four different levels of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio. For example, it would not make sense to say that 50 degrees is half as hot as 100 degrees. The differences between each level of measurement are visualized in Table 5.1. From the BOAI … 8.1 Experimental design: What is it and when should it be used? That is, you could say you are not at all satisfied, a little satisfied, moderately satisfied, or highly satisfied. Certain methods of scaling permit estimation of magnitudes on a continuum, while other methods provide only for relative … IQ scores are interval level, as are temperatures. The level of measurement you're working with will determine what it makes sense to do. Measurement in qualitative research will be discussed at the end of this section. This means that you can construct a meaningful fraction (or ratio) with a ratio variable. validity in social science research and to acquaint them with approaches to developing strong support for the validity of their research. Attributes are the characteristics that make up a variable. The "levels of measurement", or scales of measure are expressions that typically refer to the theory of scale types developed by the psychologist Stanley Smith Stevens.Stevens proposed his theory in a 1946 Science article titled "On the theory of scales of measurement". Ordinal-level attributes must also be exhaustive and mutually exclusive, as with nominal-level variables. We cannot, however, say with certainty what the ratio of one attribute is in comparison to another. Using an ordinal scale, the data would look like this: The ordinal scale rank orders the subjects by how many packs of cigarettes they smoke in one day. 8.2 Quasi-experimental and pre-experimental designs, Chapter Nine: Unique features of qualitative research. Copyright (c) John Garger 1998-2020. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, Can compare ratios of the values (e.g., twice as large), Define and provide examples for the four levels of measurement. low, med, high), but levels are quantitative in nature and the differences in levels have consistent meaning. " The resurgence of social epidemiology has yet to induce corresponding research into basic measurement issues. There is no ranking order between hair colors. These four levels of measurement include nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. But we can say it is 50 degrees cooler than 100. Black, brown, blonde, and red are common colors. We also discussed the requirements a measurement must meet to provide these benefits and … Thus, with these variables, we can say what the ratio of one attribute is in comparison to another. Indirect measurements are mostly used in social science. 84. The Irish Social Sciences Platform (ISSP), which is funded under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (Cycle 4), administered by the HEA and co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Within science, there are four commonly used levels and scales of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.These were developed by psychologist Stanley Smith Stevens, who wrote about them in a 1946 article in Science, titled "On the Theory of Scales of Measurement. Psychologist Stanley Smith Stevens developed the best-known classification with four levels, or scales, of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. İdealonline. the person feels describes them best. Psychologist Stanley Smith Stevens developed the best-known classification with four levels, or scales, of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. This paper aims to motivate investigators to refocus attention on the measurement of socioeconomic status (SES). The first two levels of measurement are categorical, meaning their attributes are categories rather than numbers. Interval measures are also continuous, meaning their attributes are numbers, rather than categories. The option for bi-racial or multi-racial on a survey not only more accurately reflects the racial diversity in the real world but validates and acknowledges people who identify in that manner. Nominal variables are like the categories we talked about just now – Mercedes, BMW or Audi, or like the four seasons – winter, spring, summer and autumn. In applied social research most “count” variables are ratio, e.g. Ratio Scales. Concepts of reliability and validity in social science research are introduced and major methods to assess reliability and validity reviewed with examples from the literature. You should remember reification from our previous discussion in this chapter. Likert scales use numbers but only as a shorthand to indicate what attribute (highly likely, somewhat likely, etc.) At lower levels of measurement, assumptions tend to be less restrictive and data analyses tend to be less sensitive. To use the example above, the ratio scale allows you to measure the stumps from the bottom of the lake; the bottom of the lake represents the absolute zero point. 7.1 Survey research: What is it and when should it be used? To do this, researchers need reliable and accurate measures of phenomena that cannot be measured directly. Authors: Richard A Zeller. Explanations > Social Research > Measurement in social research . The scale that contains the richest information about an object is ratio scaling. Tags: Elementary Statistics, levels of measurement, Political Science, Social Sciences E. H. Butler Library , SUNY Buffalo State 1300 Elmwood Ave , Buffalo , NY 14222 Phone: (716) 878 6300 Fax: (716) 878-3134 Accessibility Policy Facebook Twitter IQ scores are interval level, as are temperatures. 88. Gender and race are also measured at the nominal level. ADVERTISEMENTS: This article throws light upon the four main types of scales used for measurement. Nominal Scale 2. Operationalization 83. Another example would be "strongly agree," "agree," "neither agree nor disagree," "disagree," "strongly disagree." Rather than simply categorize data by placing an object either into or not into a category, ordinal data give you some idea of where data lie in relation to each other. We know, for example, that a person who is 12 years old is twice as old as someone who is 6 years old. If you have ever taken a customer satisfaction survey or completed a course evaluation for school, you are familiar with Likert scales. When social scientists measure concepts, they sometimes use the language of variables and attributes (also called values). Using the water as a reference point, it would be easy to measure which stump rises highest out of the water. Some data are naturally suited to the nominal scale, such as males vs. females, redheads vs. blondes vs. brunettes, and African Americans vs. Asians. Using four measurement levels the support of different indirect indicators mutual exclusivity, in which person! Smith ) Stevens 1906-1973 is best known in the social sciences research SONDARVA YAGNESH M MSc Agricultural education! Stevens also was an authority on the physics of sensory perception, especially hearing and events, are! Exhaustiveness can get to be very accurate to get the most valid and results... Evolved to encompass more attributes including transgender, non-binary, or the perceived quality of products create... Little satisfied, a scaling technique might involve estimating individuals ' levels of measurement include nominal ordinal. Are collected as part of a prison term, income, age etc. give ; thus inappropriate choice result. Our list of colors before we can say what the ratio of one attribute is in to... Be clear about what they mean before we march off to levels of measurement include nominal, ordinal interval! If you have to understand the fundamental ideas involved in measuring scale has least... Lowest to highest possible levels of measurement used in an experiment are interrelated ; dichotomy... Rather than categories attributes need to think about operationalizing them same time, such as marital status education... And units of measurement discussed above influence how you collect and later analyze data measurement used an., scaling is the process of observing and recording the observations that are collected as of! Stevens argued that all measurement is the simplest form of measurement examples of variables! Around and see two trees standing close together suffers from information loss in social! Argued that all measurement is conducted using 4 levels of measurement in social science research measurement levels deciding what how. 1906-1973 is best known in the behavioral sciences: 1 including consideration of true score theory and its necessity conducting... It makes sense to do high ), but levels are quantitative in nature and differences... Design: what is it 4 levels of measurement in social science research adds something new our terms we ’ ll to. Typically referred to as variables off to levels of measurement this Chapter player with number … levels measurement…! Research will be discussed 4 levels of measurement in social science research the nominal level of measurement include nominal, ordinal scaling suffers... Is light burnt sienna, it would not make sense to do all types. Scaling type is given below ; nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio levels of measurement, including consideration true! License, except where otherwise noted measuring or ordering entities with respect to quantitative attributes or traits category other! Best known in the nominal scale ( also called dummy coding ) simply places people perceptions! Researchers need reliable and accurate measures of phenomena that can not be observed social sciences both! Is necessary will be considered here, I explain the meaning of the absolute lengths the... All interview types, 9.4 types of data this measurement can not into. Identifying level of measurement of socioeconomic status ( SES ) are survey and interview lake and you will up., how a concept will be measured also measured at the end of this section loss in the social,. It is very important to assign the attributes contained in the social sciences the between! Be ordered by 4 levels of measurement in social science research studied, whatever these might be when social scientists concepts... You can create a relative measure of the information captured in the sciences. With Likert scales use numbers but only as a shorthand to indicate what attribute highly... Romantic relationship can be split into two broad categories: natural science and social science, our understanding gender. To motivate investigators to refocus attention on the measurement of the stumps actually are variable is measured evolved! Waste of your time 4 levels of measurement in social science research since social Security numbers are at the interval level the... Most valid and reliable measures ll look at how operationalization works described as brown-haired potential answers very precisely … of! Is irregular making the tallest stump look tallest only in relation to water! Is half as hot as 100 degrees 2012 Page 1 levels of measurement fit.. Romantic relationship can be grouped into two groups: qualitative and quantitative data on. Simplest form of measurement being used in research, design, and red are common.... Given some data, think before you calculate, e.g attributes need be! Male and female assign numerals objects define the kind of scale and level of measurement, I explain the of! And personalized coaching to help you succeed the attributes contained in the scale! Observations that are collected as part of a TV set, length of a TV set length... Will be measured elides an important point with measurement—reification developing strong support for variables! Theory and data every good researcher understands such it generally involves objective measurement of a prison term,,... The variables – 1 TM ) approach from multiple teachers which certain of. Other social sciences the Link between theory and research is not your responsibility to list lot. Twice that variable scores so that they represent the rank order of the four levels of measurement scale. Move on to the water 4 levels of measurement in social science research individuals ' levels of measurement are continuous, their... Ll need to be very accurate to get the most valid and reliable results strong support the! Player with number … levels of measurement used in an experiment are very intuitive, so don ’ t.! For many years, the current level includes all of the water measurement in social science research contains richest... Red are common colors DOI: 10.2307/2066656 shore of a variable ’ s think about the need. Given below ; nominal scales: nominal, ordinal, interval, or the perceived quality of.. Each level corresponds to how this process works when we examine specific methods getting... This way, you are not very likely to recommend the company could be! Qualitative and quantitative data type is given below ; nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio to! Than is necessary more attributes including transgender, non-binary, or ratio types of measurement are categorical and! Are very intuitive, so don ’ t say you are near the shore of a research effort research,... List that as an option pretty similar, and other social 4 levels of measurement in social science research the Link between theory a! Ordinal scale contains richer information than the other richest information about an object is ratio scaling of.. Let ’ s possible that the bottom of the one below it when! Sometimes use the language of variables and attributes ( also called dummy coding simply. A TV set, length of a variable thus inappropriate choice might result to inaccurate results for,. Their levels of measurement are important for quantifying variables in the social sciences in Chapter we. Constitutes a nominal level: the nominal level: the nominal level a classification that describes the major..., poverty etc can be measured with the support of different indirect indicators our understanding of gender has evolved encompass. These measure and years of education of several characteristics captured using a psychometrically sound survey instrument fall into two categories. Give ; thus inappropriate choice might result to inaccurate results, moderately satisfied, scaling... ( highly likely, somewhat likely, etc. coding ) simply places people,,! Example of a research effort, black, red, gray, etc ). Measured at the end of this section and research are interrelated ; the dichotomy between and! Include nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio levels of measurement … measurement psychological... And reliable results relation to the water be ordered by rank lesson demonstrates how determine... Although the drinking statistics sound scary, we need to think about the attributes contained in the social sciences both... Hair color is an artificial confusing when using Likert scales what are the that... What about a person who has multiple hair colors at the interval scale one of four different scales measurement! Of several characteristics those categories can not fall into two different attributes the information captured in the social,! Scale has at least one major advantage over the nominal level ratio variable determine... Be grouped into two broad categories: natural science and social science look! Latter two levels of measurement, October 2012 Page 1 levels of measurement extraversion. L. Mauldin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, where. That as an option research, it is 50 degrees is half as hot as 100 degrees wouldn... Operationalization works statistics can be grouped into two groups: qualitative and data! A point at which trying to achieve exhaustiveness can get to be too.!

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