ABSTRACT
Statistical analysis depends on being able to measure or to quantify those aspects of objects which interest us. Measurement involves assigning numbers to observations according to certain rules. Since the type of statistical procedure used to describe and to draw inferences from empirical observations partly rests on the way in which an attribute or variable is measured, it is important to be familiar with the kinds of measurement that have been distinguished. Stevens (1946) suggested four levels or scales of measurement which are frequently referred to in discussions on the types of statistical procedures to be followed with different kinds of measurement. Although each level has its own characteristics, the levels are hierarchical. The higher levels have more sophisticated properties than the lower levels but they also include the more basic features of the lower levels.
