Which type of quantitative variable is represented by recording the total number of aggressive acts for each child?

The situation described involves recording the total number of aggressive acts for each child, which corresponds to a specific measurement of quantity. This type of variable is classified as a ratio scale because it not only has a true zero point (indicating the absence of aggressive acts) but also allows for meaningful comparisons using ratios. For example, you can say that one child exhibited twice as many aggressive acts as another child, which makes the ratio scale particularly advantageous for this type of analysis.

In contrast, nominal scales categorize data without any quantitative value, ordinal scales rank data without consistent differences between ranks, and interval scales maintain equal differences between values but lack a true zero. Therefore, the ratio scale is the most appropriate type of quantitative variable for this context, as it encapsulates both the quantifiable nature of the data and the ability to make meaningful comparisons based on a true zero point.