scalasgt.txt     31jan97
 
Soc. 113, Scale Assignment
 
Instructions: 

	1. Read chapters 1-3 and skim the rest of the General
Social Survey User's Guide, particularly noting what coverage the
GSS has on topics of interest to you.

	2. Obtain access to the GSS-CODEBOOK (on the NORC web
site), which will be needed for information on particular
variables as you complete this assignment.

	3. Review lecture notes and handout on Scales of
Measurement, particularly noting the discussion of "interval
scales", the level of measurement appropriate for such
statistical calculations as standard deviation, correlation
coefficient, and regression coefficient.

	Some important statistical methods -- including
regression, scatterplots, and such -- are intended for
interval-scale variables. Alas, many of the variables measured in
social surveys are not interval scales. Practically, instead of
requiring that the variables be PROVEN to have each of the
interval scale properties, we will require only some
approximation thereof, which McFarland defines as follows:

    --Most (but not necessarily all) of the observations lie on
    --a single substantively interpretable dimension, with
    --at least 5 possible scale values along that dimension, and
    --some sense (whether physical or subjective) in which those
scale values could plausibly be thought of as equally spaced.
 
	4. Complete the form below for each of the assigned GSS
variables.	

Write your student id# here _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Circle whether the
last digit is (even) or (odd) and complete the form for the
variables in the corresponding column:

	(even)		(odd)
	------		-----
	age		tvhours
	income		rincome
	degree		bilinged
	maeduc		paeduc
	bilinged	degree
	down1		down1
	news		attend
	deathpen	letin
	mawrkwrm	divbest	
	xmarsex		judge
	occ80		prestige	
	memfrat		owngun


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			Student Name ______________________
			
			Student id# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

			1.  Variable mnemonic ___________
  
2. Which responses can be treated as meaningful values along a
single substantively interpretable dimension?

3a.  How many possible values? (at least 5)
3b.  Do they need to be reordered?  How?
3c.  Lowest value?         3d. Highest value?
 
4a.  Which responses need to be recoded as missing data?
4b.  -as some type of nonresponse?
4c.  -as a response lying on some other dimension?

5. Describe the substantively interpretable dimension along which
most observations lie; what, precisely, does this variable
measure?  

6a.  What similar variables are also available (see subject index
	of the GSS codebook)?
6b.  How do they differ? 
6c.  Is this the one best suited for measuring that concept?
 
7. Does this variable (after recoding, if specified above)
satisfy the requirements for a McFarland approximation of an
interval scale?

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