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Stevens (1946) describes measurement as a “rule to assign numbers to attributes”. A nominal scale is a scale in which the rule of assigning numbers informs one of which category the data value belongs. Customary examples include eye color, names, or labels.
Description
Stevens (1946, 1951) introduced the now widely known terms nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio to refer to the families of scales, for which the basic empirical operations (rules for assigning numbers) were the determination of equality or labeling, the determination of order, the determination of equality of intervals, and the equality of ratios, respectively. The nominal scale was the least controversial of Stevens’ scale types because in the course of measurement they do not even require the assignment of numerical values, but only of unique identifiers (e.g., letters or numerals). In terms of Stevens’ focus on transformations, nominal scales are invariant under...
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References
Stevens, S. S. (1946). On the theory of scales of measurement. Science, 103, 677–680.
Stevens, S. S. (1951). Mathematics, measurement, and psychophysics. In S. S. Stevens (Ed.), Handbook of experimental psychology. New York: Wiley.
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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Zumbo, B.D. (2014). Nominal Scales. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_1955
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_1955
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