Typology is a
composite measure that involves the classification of observations in terms of their
attributes
Attribute may refer to:
* Attribute (philosophy), an extrinsic property of an object
* Attribute (research), a characteristic of an object
* Grammatical modifier, in natural languages
* Attribute (computing), a specification that defines a pro ...
on multiple
variables.
Such classification is usually done on a
nominal scale
Level of measurement or scale of measure is a classification that describes the nature of information within the values assigned to variables. Psychologist Stanley Smith Stevens developed the best-known classification with four levels, or scale ...
.
Typologies are used in both
qualitative
Qualitative descriptions or distinctions are based on some quality or characteristic rather than on some quantity or measured value.
Qualitative may also refer to:
*Qualitative property, a property that can be observed but not measured numericall ...
and
quantitative research
Quantitative research is a research strategy that focuses on quantifying the collection and analysis of data. It is formed from a deductive approach where emphasis is placed on the testing of theory, shaped by empiricist and positivist philos ...
.
An example of a typology would be classification such as by age and health: young-healthy, young-sick, old-healthy, old-sick.
Typological theorizing is the development of theories about configurations of variables that constitute theoretical types.
According to Andrew Bennett and Alexander George, typological theories are useful "to address complex phenomena without oversimplifying, clarify similarities and differences among cases to facilitate comparisons, provide a comprehensive inventory of all possible kinds of cases, incorporate interactions effects, and draw attention to... kinds of cases that have not occurred."
References
Statistical classification
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