SPSS Syntax, Data and Output The previous tutorials explored SPSS’ three main windows. These are SPSS Data Editor window ; SPSS Syntax Editor window ; SPSS output viewer window . Now that we have a basic understanding of what they’re for, let’s take a look at the big picture: the figure below proposes a typical flowchart for proceeding through a research […]
Introduction SPSS dataset logic is not always logical. However, for working proficiently with datasets, just a handful of basics is sufficient. These are explained in this tutorial. This tutorial focuses on working with SPSS datasets. For a definition and some background on datasets, see SPSS Datasets. Working with SPSS Datasets It is recommended you follow along with the […]
Creating SPSS stacked bar charts with percentages -as shown above- is pretty easy. However, figuring out the right steps may take quite some effort and frustration. This tutorial therefore shows how to do it properly in one go. We encourage you to follow along on course_evaluation.sav. Part of these data are shown in the screenshot below. Example: Course Rating […]
This tutorial walks you through SPSS’ main statistical functions. They are mainly used with COMPUTE and IF. Note that these are all within-subjects (or “horizontal”) functions. For between-subjects (or “vertical”) functions, see AGGREGATE. All examples in this tutorial use hospital.sav, which is freely downloadable. Within-subjects versus between-subjects functions. SPSS Statistical Functions – Missing Values SPSS statistical functions only return system missing values if all their input values […]
Introduction Having a basic understanding of SPSS numeric variables allows you to work fast and with a sense of confidence. This tutorial aims at accomplishing just that by pointing out some essential basics. You may follow along with this tutorial by downloading and opening hospital.sav. SPSS Numeric Variables – What Are They? Numeric variables are one of […]
One of the best known charts is a simple bar chart containing frequencies or percentages. The easiest way to run it in SPSS is the FREQUENCIES command. This tutorial walks you through some options. We’ll use freelancers.sav throughout, part of which is shown below. Option 1: FREQUENCIES In most cases, a simple FREQUENCIES command is our best option because it takes multiple […]
“Inferential statistics” is the branch of statistics that deals with generalizing outcomes from (small) samples to (much larger) populations. Also, “inferential statistics” is the plural for “inferential statistic”Some key concepts are statistical significance testing; confidence intervals; statistical power; null hypotheses; standard errors. All of these basically aim at drawing conclusions (or “inferences”) on populations based on […]
Introduction Using SPSS keywords, especially TO and ALL greatly speeds up a myriad of typical tasks. This tutorial walks you through SPSS main keywords and points out how they can save time and effort. We’ll use supermarket.sav for demonstrational purposes. SPSS Main Keywords EXPRESSION MEANING RETURNS ALL All variables (not previously addressed in statement) Variable name(s) TO All variables between and […]
Summary In SPSS, SUM(v1,v2) is not always equivalent to v1 + v2. This tutorial explains the difference and shows how to make the right choice here. Different Ways of Taking Sums have Different Outcomes when Missing Values are Present Explanation In SPSS, v1 + v2 + v3 will result in a system missing value if at least one missing value is present in v1, […]
A null hypothesis is a precise statement about a population that we try to reject with sample data. We don’t usually believe our null hypothesis (or H0) to be true. However, we need some exact statement as a starting point for statistical significance testing. Null Hypothesis Examples Often -but not always- the null hypothesis states there is […]
Summary A great way to dichotomize variables is with a single short compute command. This is also the fastest way to create multi variable filters. How Does it Work? When the structure COMPUTE A = B = C is used, SPSS will evaluate whether (B = C) is True or False for each case. The outcome variable A will be the following If (B […]
SPSS keyboard shortcuts allow you to work with amazing speed. Some of the best SPSS shortkeys are not obvious at all so we’ll list our 20 favorite SPSS shortkeys in the table below.* Enjoy! Overview Most Useful SPSS Shortkeys WHERE SHORTKEY USEFUL FOR Data Editor CTRL + t Switch between data view and variable view. Data Editor CTRL + / […]
The table below lists all SPSS commands and the additional licenses -if any- you need for using them. This overview is based on SPSS version 22 but we hope to soon update it for version 24. Consult the notes section for some tips on using the table or downloading it as an SPSS (.sav) data file. Overview NAME TYPE OPTION […]
This tutorial covers some obvious and some less obvious functions for editing numeric variables. You can follow along with this tutorial by downloading and opening hospital.sav. They syntax we’ll use can be copy-pasted or downloaded here. Specifying User Missing Values This tutorial will only use the last 2 variables in the data.* Before doing anything else, we first specify […]
