2.Survey: Measurement and Scaling

2.1 Introduction

Measurement

Measurement – assigning numbers or other symbols to characteristics of objects according to certain pre-specified rule

– one-to-one correspondence between the numbers and characteristics being measured

– the rules for assigning numbers should be standardized and applied uniformly

– rules must not change over objects or time

 

Scaling

Scaling – involves creating a continuum upon which measured objects are located.

Primary Scales of Measurement

Nominal:

  • numbers serve as labels for identifying and classifying objects
  • not continuos

Ordinal:

  • numbers indicate the relative positions of objects
  • but not the magnitude of difference between them

Interval:

  • differences between objects can be compared
  • zero point is arbitrary

Ratio a.k.a. metric:

  • zero point is fixed
  • ratios of scale values can be computed

Primary Scales of Measurement

Scale Basic Characteristics Common Examples Marketing Examples

Permissible Statistics

Descriptive

Inferential
 

Nominal

  

Numbers identify

and classify objects

  

Social security numbers, numbering of football players

  

Brand numbers, store types sex, classification

  

Percentages, mode

  

Chi-square, binomial test
 

Ordinal

  

Numbers indicate the relative positions of the objects but not the magnitude of differences between them

  

Quality rankings, ranking of teams in tournament

  

Preference rankings, market position, social class

  

Percentile, median

  

Rank-order correlation, Friedman ANOVA
 

Interval

  

Differences between objects can be compared; zero point is arbitrary

  

Temperature (Fahrenheit, Centigrade)

  

Attitudes, opinions, index numbers

  

Range, mean, standard deviation

  

Product-moment correlations, t-tests, ANOVA, regression, factor analysis
 

Ratio

  

Zero point is fixed; ratios of scale values can be compared

  

Length, weight, time, money

  

Age, income, costs, sales, market shares

  

Geometric mean, harmonic mean

  

Coefficient of variation

 

Classification of Scaling Techniques

Comparison of Scaling Techniques

Comparative Scales: 

  • involve the direct comparison of stimulus objects.
  • data must be interpreted in relative terms
  • have only ordinal and rank-order properties

Non-comparative Scales:

  • each object is scaled independently
  • resulting data is generally assumed to be interval or ratio scaled

– nature of the research

– variability in the population

– statistical considerations

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