What is an example of a nominal scale of measurement?

A nominal scale of measurement involves categorizing data without any quantitative value or inherent order. It allows researchers to label or name variables, which can be used to identify different groups, but does not indicate any ranking or ordering among them.

Categorizing responses in a survey is an excellent example because it simply involves classifying respondents into different categories based on their answers, such as gender, favorite type of music, or yes/no responses. Each category is distinct and cannot be quantitatively ordered; for instance, “male” and “female” or “satisfied” and “not satisfied” do not imply any level or rank between them.

In contrast, ranking students' grades involves an ordinal scale because it places the grades in a specific order based on performance. Measuring height in centimeters is a ratio scale since it not only provides a name to the measurement but also implies a capable mathematical relationship between the values. Calculating average scores falls under summary statistics derived from interval or ratio data, as it implies a mathematical operation on ordered values. Thus, nominal scales are centered on categorical data without a hierarchy, making the survey responses the clear representative example.