A researcher is gathering data from four geographical areas designated: South=1;North=2; East=3; West=4. The geographical regions represents
a. categorical data
b. quantitative data
c. directional data
d. either quantitative or categorical data
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_data
The researcher is assigning numerical codes to represent the four geographical areas, where South is coded as 1, North as 2, East as 3, and West as 4. In this case, the numerical codes do not have any inherent numerical significance, but rather act as labels or categories.
Categorical data consists of categories or labels that represent different groups or characteristics. Since the numerical codes here represent different geographical regions, this data can be categorized as categorical data. Therefore, the answer is option a. categorical data.
To determine this, you would need to understand the nature of the data being collected. In this case, you need to know that the numerical codes represent geographical areas. By examining the information given, you can identify that the researcher is assigning numerical codes to specific geographical regions, indicating that the data is categorical.