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In the context of psychological measurements, the nominal scale is best used for?

  1. Ranking job desirability

  2. Classifying consumers based on categorical attributes

  3. Measuring temperature

  4. Calculating fiscal data

The correct answer is: Classifying consumers based on categorical attributes

The nominal scale is a type of measurement that is primarily used for categorizing data without any quantitative value or rank. It simply assigns labels to different categories, allowing for classification based on certain attributes. For example, when consumers are classified based on attributes such as gender, race, or marital status, these categories do not have a logical order or numerical significance, which aligns perfectly with the characteristics of a nominal scale. In contrast, rankings or measurements that require order or quantitative values, such as job desirability, temperature, and fiscal data, would be better suited to other scales such as ordinal or interval/ratio. Job desirability involves a ranking system that places options in order of preference, which is not permissible on a nominal scale. Temperature measurements require a scale that can quantify and depict differences in degree, while fiscal data involves numerical values and calculations that go beyond simple categorization. Thus, classifying consumers based on categorical attributes effectively utilizes the nominal scale, making it the correct choice in this context.