Levels of measurement

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Locate 4 research articles that demonstrate the following four levels of measurement:

-Nominal

-Ordinal

-Interval

-Reason

Identify in each article at least one example of each of the four levels of measurement.

Explain why that level of measurement applies to the study you have chosen.

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are sy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell w, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, tfore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Finding four specific research articles that neatly demonstrate all four levels of measurement within the same study can be challenging, as researchers often focus their measurement strategies based on the variables they are investigating. However, I can provide four distinct research articles, each showcasing a clear example of one of the four levels of measurement. For each article, I will:

  • Provide the citation (or enough information to locate it).
  • Identify an example of the specific level of measurement.
  • Explain why that level of measurement applies.

1. Nominal Level of Measurement

  • Research Article: “Gender Differences in Political Participation: Evidence from 50 Countries” by Paxton, Melanie, Joni Lovenduski, and Matthew Hughes. Political Studies, 2007, 55(4), 868-893.

  • Example: The variable “Country” in this study is measured at the nominal level. The researchers categorize political participation data based on the country from which it was collected (e.g., Kenya, United States, France).

Finding four specific research articles that neatly demonstrate all four levels of measurement within the same study can be challenging, as researchers often focus their measurement strategies based on the variables they are investigating. However, I can provide four distinct research articles, each showcasing a clear example of one of the four levels of measurement. For each article, I will:

  • Provide the citation (or enough information to locate it).
  • Identify an example of the specific level of measurement.
  • Explain why that level of measurement applies.

1. Nominal Level of Measurement

  • Research Article: “Gender Differences in Political Participation: Evidence from 50 Countries” by Paxton, Melanie, Joni Lovenduski, and Matthew Hughes. Political Studies, 2007, 55(4), 868-893.

  • Example: The variable “Country” in this study is measured at the nominal level. The researchers categorize political participation data based on the country from which it was collected (e.g., Kenya, United States, France).

  • Explanation: The nominal level of measurement involves categorizing data into distinct, unordered categories. The different countries are simply labels; t is no innt ranking or order between them. One country is not “more” or “less” than another in terms of this variable itself. The numbers or codes assigned to each country are arbitrary identifiers and do not represent any quantitative value or order.

2. Ordinal Level of Measurement

  • Research Article: “The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Perceived Health: A Systematic Review” by Deaton, Angus. Health Economics, 2002, 11(1), 1-26.

  • Example: The variable “Socioeconomic Status (SES)” is often measured at an ordinal level in many studies, including those reviewed in this article. Researchers might categorize SES into groups like “Low,” “Medium,” and “High.”

  • Explanation: The ordinal level of measurement involves categorizing data into ordered categories. In this example, “High” SES is understood to be greater than “Medium,” which is greater than “Low.” However, the intervals between these categories are not necessarily equal or quantifiable. The difference in socioeconomic status between “Low” and “Medium” might not be the same as the difference between “Medium” and “High.” The categories indicate a relative ranking but not the magnitude of difference.

3. Interval Level of Measurement

  • Research Article: “Body Mass Index and Mortality Among Adults with Incident Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Study” by Gregg, Edward W., Ping Zhang, Yiling J. Cheng, Frank B. Hu, Walter C. Willett, Graham A. Colditz, and K. M. Venkat Narayan. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2005, 143(11), 793-800.

  • Example: The variable “Body Mass Index (BMI)” is measured at the interval level. BMI is calculated using weight and height, resulting in a continuous numerical value (e.g., 25.5, 30.1, 19.8).

  • Explanation: The interval level of measurement involves data that can be ordered, and the intervals between the values are equal and meaningful. For example, the difference in BMI between 25 and 30 is the same magnitude as the difference between 30 and 35. However, the interval level lacks a true zero point. A BMI of 0 does not signify the complete absence of body mass in a biologically meaningful way; it’s a theoretical point below what is physically possible for a living human. Ratios are not meaningful at the interval level (e.g., a BMI of 30 is not “twice” as much body mass as a BMI of 15 in a direct proportional sense).

4. Ratio Level of Measurement

  • Research Article: “The Impact of Maternal Education on Child Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa” by Mensch, Barbara S., Wendy D. Baldwin, and Martha A. Koenig. Population Studies, 1993, 47(1), 1-15.

  • Example: The variable “Number of Years of Maternal Education” is measured at the ratio level. This variable can take on values like 0, 6, 10, or 16 years.

  • Explanation: The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics of the interval level (ordered categories, equal intervals) and also has a true and meaningful zero point. Zero years of maternal education signifies the complete absence of formal schooling for the mother. Because of this true zero, ratios between values are meaningful. For example, a mother with 10 years of education has twice as many years of education as a mother with 5 years of education. Variables like income, height, weight, and age are also typically measured at the ratio level.

It is important to note that the level of measurement for a particular concept can sometimes vary depending on how it is operationalized in a specific study. Researchers make decisions about how to measure their variables based on their research questions and the data they are collecting.

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