A researcher gives respondents five brands of cereal and asks them to rank these cereals from the best liked (rank = 1) to the least liked (rank = 5). This scale is most closely a(n):

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The scale used in this scenario is an ordinal scale because the responses (ranks) are ordered from best liked to least liked. However, there is no meaningful difference in distance between the ranks. We cannot say, for example, that the difference between rank 1 and rank 2 is the same as the difference between rank 2 and rank 3. Therefore, it is not an interval or ratio scale.

A Researcher Gives Respondents Five Brands of Cereal and Asks