Categorical Variables
Definition
Categorical variables represent characteristics or qualities that fall into distinct categories or groups. They cannot be measured numerically but instead provide information about group membership or classification.
Analogy
Think about categorical variables as different flavors of ice cream at an ice cream shop. Each flavor represents a different category, and you can't assign numerical values to them, but they help classify the options available.
Related terms
Numerical Variables: These variables represent quantities that can be measured or counted numerically.
Nominal Variables: A specific type of categorical variable where the categories have no inherent order or ranking.
Ordinal Variables: Another type of categorical variable where the categories have a natural order or ranking.
"Categorical Variables" appears in:
Additional resources (2)
Practice Questions (3)
- When comparing within one population to see if two categorical variables are associated, which test should be used?
- When analyzing data from categorical variables, which statistical technique is commonly used?
- From a two-way table, how can we determine if two categorical variables are associated or not?
Resources
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