SPSS Output – Basics, Tips & Tricks

SPSS Output Tables SPSS Output Charts SPSS Output to WORD SPSS Output to Excel SPSS Output Tricks Exporting SPSS output is usually easier and faster than copy-pasting SPSS Output Introduction In SPSS, we usually work from 3 windows. These are the data editor window ; the syntax editor window ; the output viewer window . Our previous tutorials discussed the data […]

Simple Overview Statistical Comparison Tests

The vast majority of statistical tests really just compare several populations on one variable or compare several variables in one population. Now, if we add to this comparison the number of variables or populations and the measurement levels of our variables then choosing the appropriate statistical test suddenly becomes remarkably easy.* The overviews below also nicely visualize how basic tests relate […]

How to Compute Means in SPSS?

This tutorial shows how to compute means over both variables and cases in a simple but solid way. We encourage you follow along by downloading and opening restaurant.sav, part of which is shown below. Quick Data Check Before computing anything whatsoever, we always need to know what’s in our data in the first place. Skipping this […]

How to Compute Age in SPSS?

A course was evaluated by 183 students. The data are in course_evaluation.sav, part of which is shown below. The teacher wants to know the average age of his students but we only have their date of birth. 1. Ensure Date of Birth is a Date Variable The first thing we’ll do is check if date of […]

SPSS IF – A Quick Tutorial

In SPSS, IF is a conditional COMPUTE command. It calculates a (possibly new) variable but only for those cases that satisfy some condition(s). This tutorial walks you through some typical examples of the IF command. Example 1 – Replace Missing Values With the syntax below we’ll first create some test data. Next we’ll set the existing variable score […]

SPSS RECODE – Simple Tutorial

SPSS RECODE replaces data values with different values. It comes in handy for merging categories, dichotomizing continuous variables and some other tasks. This tutorial walks you through its main options, best practices and pitfalls. SPSS Recode Example 1 For quickly getting very proficient with RECODE it’s recommended you follow along with the examples. You’ll soon notice […]

How to Convert String Variables into Numeric Ones?

Converting an SPSS string variable into a numeric one is simple. However, there’s a huge pitfall that few people are aware of: string values that can’t be converted into numbers result in system missing values without SPSS throwing any error or warning. This can mess up your data without you being aware of it. Don’t believe me? I’ll demonstrate the problem -and the solution- […]

SPSS Missing Values Tutorial

SPSS System Missing Values SPSS User Missing Values Setting User Missing Values Inspecting Missing Values per Variable SPSS Data Analysis with Missing Values What are “Missing Values” in SPSS? In SPSS, “missing values” may refer to 2 things: System missing values are values that are completely absent from the data. They are shown as periods in data view. […]

SPSS Variable Types and Formats Tutorial

Understanding SPSS variable types and formats allows you to get things done fast and reliably. Getting a grip on types and formats is not hard if you ignore the very confusing information under variable view. This tutorial takes away the confusion and puts you back in control. We encourage you to follow along with this tutorial by downloading and opening computer_parts. […]

Measurement Levels

Measurement levels refer to different types of variables that imply how to analyze them. Standard textbooks distinguish 4 such measurement levels or variable types. From low to high, these are nominal variables; ordinal variables; interval variables; ratio variables. The “higher” the measurement level, the more information a variable holds. The simple flowchart below shows how […]

Statistical Significance

What Does It Really Mean? Statistical significance is the probability of finding a given deviation from the null hypothesis -or a more extreme one- in a sample. Statistical significance is often referred to as the p-value (short for “probability value”) or simply p in research papers. A small p-value basically means that your data are unlikely under some null hypothesis. […]

Standard Deviation

The standard deviation is a number that indicates the extent to which a set of numbers lie apart. Standard Deviation – Example Five applicants took an IQ test as part of a job application. Their scores on three IQ components are shown below. Now, let’s take a close look at the scores on the 3 […]

SPSS – What Is It?

SPSS means “Statistical Package for the Social Sciences” and was first launched in 1968. Since SPSS was acquired by IBM in 2009, it’s officially known as IBM SPSS Statistics but most users still just refer to it as “SPSS”. SPSS – Quick Overview Main Features SPSS is software for editing and analyzing all sorts of data. These data may come […]

SPSS Syntax Introduction

SPSS” Syntax Editor window is the second of SPSS’ three main windows. As we’ll see in a minute, this is where we run commands for opening files, editing data, generating results and, finally, saving files. The Syntax Editor is recognized by an orange icon  in its left top corner. SPSS Syntax – First Encounter We recommend […]

SPSS Output Viewer Window

SPSS’ Output Viewer window is the window that contains all output we generate. The most typical output items are tables and charts that describe patterns in our data. An Output Viewer window opens automatically when we generate output. It’s recognized by a purple icon  (or  for older SPSS versions). SPSS Output Viewer Window – Example We recommend […]

SPSS Data Editor Window

SPSS Data Editor window is SPSS’ main window. This is the only window that’s always open whenever we run SPSS. It’s recognized by a red icon  in its left top corner. The Data Editor has two tabs in the left bottom corner: we can click Data View for inspecting our data values. Alternatively, Variable View shows information regarding the meaning […]