Level of measurement

Not to be confused with Units of measurement, Level sensor, or Level (logarithmic quantity).
"Nominal variable" redirects here. For the economics usage, see Real versus nominal value (economics).

Level of measurement or scale of measure is a classification that describes the nature of information within the values assigned to variables.[1] Psychologist Stanley Smith Stevens developed the best-known classification with four levels, or scales, of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.[1][2] This framework of distinguishing levels of measurement originated in psychology and has since had a complex history, being adopted and extended in some disciplines and by some scholars, and criticized or rejected by others.[3] Other classifications include those by Mosteller and Tukey,[4] and by Chrisman.[5]

  1. ^ a b Kirch, Wilhelm, ed. (2008). "Level of Measurement". Encyclopedia of Public Health. Vol. 2. Springer. pp. 851–852. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-5614-7_1971. ISBN 978-1-4020-5613-0.
  2. ^ Stevens, S. S. (7 June 1946). "On the Theory of Scales of Measurement". Science. 103 (2684): 677–680. Bibcode:1946Sci...103..677S. doi:10.1126/science.103.2684.677. PMID 17750512. S2CID 4667599.
  3. ^ Michell, J. (1986). "Measurement scales and statistics: a clash of paradigms". Psychological Bulletin. 100 (3): 398–407. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.100.3.398.
  4. ^ Mosteller, Frederick; Tukey, John W. (1977). Data analysis and regression : a second course in statistics. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0201048544.
  5. ^ Chrisman, Nicholas R. (1998). "Rethinking Levels of Measurement for Cartography". Cartography and Geographic Information Science. 25 (4): 231–242. Bibcode:1998CGISy..25..231C. doi:10.1559/152304098782383043. ISSN 1523-0406. – via Taylor & Francis (subscription required)