Essay Questions
2. Discuss the differences between the following four scales of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales. Where is it appropriate to use these different scales and where is it inappropriate? What scales are appropriate for measuring the following: (a) height, (b) mood, (c) facial attractiveness?
Key Points:
- Consideration of the key features of the four different measurement scales, as discussed in the chapter.
- Real world examples of these scales and where it may/may not be appropriate to apply them.
- Extra credit for examples that the student presents and accurately analyses from outside the materials presented in the chapter.
- Correct evaluation that whereas a ratio scale is appropriate for height, this is not necessarily the case when measuring mood and facial attractiveness.
- Extra credit given for an informed reflection on situations in which people may assume that scores obtained from psychological measurement can be treated as ratio measures, but where this assumption is not always justified (credit for cited examples and extra credit for cited novel examples).
