Answer to Question #155776 in Statistics and Probability for Wachira Ann Wangari

Question

In the following examples, identify the response variable and the explanatory variable illustrating their level of measurement

1) marital status(married, single, divorced, widowed), quality of life(excellent, good, fair, poor)

2) presence of disease( present, absent), gender( male, female)

Answer 1

Explanatory Variable

Also known as the independent or predictor variable, it explains variations in the response variable; in an experimental study, it is manipulated by the researcher.

Response Variable

Also known as the dependent or outcome variable, its value is predicted or its variation is explained by the explanatory variable; in an experimental study, this is the outcome that is measured following manipulation of the explanatory variable.

Nominal Scale, also called the categorical variable scale, is defined as a scale used for labeling variables into distinct classifications and doesn’t involve a quantitative value or order.

Ordinal Scale is defined as a variable measurement scale used to simply depict the order of variables and not the difference between each of the variables. These scales are generally used to depict non-mathematical ideas such as frequency, satisfaction, happiness, a degree of pain, etc. 

Interval Scale is defined as a numerical scale where the order of the variables is known as well as the difference between these variables. Variables that have familiar, constant, and computable differences are classified using the Interval scale. 

Ratio Scale is defined as a variable measurement scale that not only produces the order of variables but also makes the difference between variables known along with information on the value of true zero. It is calculated by assuming that the variables have an option for zero, the difference between the two variables is the same and there is a specific order between the options.

1) Marital status(married, single, divorced, widowed) is the explanatory variable.

Quality of life(excellent, good, fair, poor) is the response variable.

Nominal level of measurement.

2) Gender( male, female) is the explanatory variable.

Presence of disease( present, absent) is the response variable.

Nominal level of measurement.