A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

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In research, what is ordinal data?

Data that cannot be ranked or ordered
Data marked by continuous values
Data that can be categorized without order
Data involving ordering or ranking categories

The correct answer is: Data involving ordering or ranking categories

Ordinal data is characterized by its ability to be ordered or ranked, which distinguishes it from other types of data. This means that with ordinal data, the categories can be placed in a specific order based on some criterion, but the intervals between the ranks may not be equal or defined. For instance, consider a case where survey responses might be rated on a scale from "poor" to "excellent." While it's clear that "excellent" is better than "good," we don't necessarily know whether the difference between "good" and "excellent" is the same as the difference between "fair" and "good." Thus, ordinal data conveys more information than nominal data (which simply offers categories without any order) but does not provide the precise measurements seen in interval and ratio data. The first option refers to data that does not have any inherent ranking, which is not applicable here. The second option suggests continuous values, which is a characteristic of interval or ratio data, not ordinal. The third option describes categorical data without any order, thus contrasting with the defining feature of ordinal data. So, the correct understanding of ordinal data is indeed reflected in the choice regarding its capacity for ordering or ranking categories.