Stats #02: Using SPSS to Describe Your Data
Content: This three hour training class will give you a general introduction in how to use SPSS software to manage your research data. This class is useful for anyone who needs to use SPSS to enter or analyze research data. Students should know how to use a mouse and how to open applications within Microsoft Windows. No statistical experience is necessary. This class will provide hands-on computer experience using SPSS software. You will use two SPSS data sets for practice exercises: bf.sav, and housing.sav. If you have trouble downloading these files, try
- Stats: Breast feeding data set in text format
- Stats: Albuquerque housing prices data set in text format
Objectives: In this class, you will learn how to:
- distinguish between categorical and continuous variables;
- compute ranges and frequencies; and
- examine relationships among variables.
Teaching strategies: Didactic lectures and individual computer exercises.
IRB Education Credits: This class does not qualify for IRB Education Credits (IRBECs).
Outline:
- Seating in the computer lab
- Overview of the STATS web pages
- Consulting services that I provide
- Installing SPSS terminal server (draft)
- Pitch the pie! Ban the bar!
- Definition: Categorical data
- Definition: Continuous data
- Description of the breast feeding data set
- Description of the Albuquerque housing data set
- Practice exercises
- Steps in a descriptive model
- How to draw a box plot
- Displaying tables of percentages
- SPSS dialog boxes for descriptive analysis examples
- Please fill out an evaluation form
Categorical versus continuous variables
Many of the choices you will make in a descriptive data analysis depend on whether the variable is categorical or continuous. Here's a brief reminder about what these terms mean.
[12a/www.childrensmercy.org/definitions/categorical.htm] [12a/www.childrensmercy.org/definitions/continuous.htm]It's not always clear how to best set up a crosstabs in SPSS. Here are some guidelines that might help.
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