Chapter 5 Using SPSS - Corwin€¦ · GETTING STARTED Chapter 5 Using SPSS Like most data analysis...

GETTING STARTED

Chapter 5 Using SPSS

Like most data analysis programs, SPSS is capable of computing many differentstatistical procedures with different kinds of data. This makes SPSS a very power-ful and useful tool, but because of its generalization, we need to specify what wewant it to do for us.

In many ways, SPSS is a vehicle for discovering differences and relation-ships in data, the same way a car is a vehicle for discovering places we have notyet visited. The car does not know where we want to go or what we wish to see.We, rather than the car, plan the trip and set the direction. Similarly, when weuse SPSS, we choose the data we wish to explore and select the statistical proce-dures we wish to use. Sitting at our computer keyboards, we are in SPSS’sdriver’s seat.

We tell SPSS where to go and what to do in our social research adventure withSPSS commands. These commands instruct SPSS where to find our data, ways inwhich we want to modify the data, and the statistical procedures we want to use.While there are several ways to issue commands to SPSS, you usually rely onthe mouse connected to your computer. By moving your cursor and clicking ordouble-clicking the button on the left side of your mouse, you will be able to tellSPSS what you want it to do.

Demonstration 5.1: Starting an SPSS Session

SPSS for Windows has probably already been installed for you by computercenter personnel, lab assistants, or your instructor. You need to learn which ofthe machines available to you are equipped with the system. Your instructor willprobably help you get started, but we think you will find it pretty simple.

Once you have run Windows, you will see a “desktop” with several smallgraphics (called icons) representing programs. At this point you have severaloptions.

Option 1

If, for instance, you see an SPSS icon similar to Screen 5.1 below, simplydouble-click on it. It will take SPSS a little while to respond, with the length oftime depending on the kind of computer you are using. Don’t become impatient

37

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and double click again, as that will launch a second instance of SPSS. Unlikeearlier versions, multiple instances of SPSS 11.0 can run simultaneously. For now,we’ll do better dealing with one SPSS session at a time.

Option 2

If you do not find the SPSS icon on the desktop, as shown in the screen above,don’t panic. There are other ways of launching SPSS. A second option isto click the Start button in the lower left corner of your screen. Move the cursorup the list to Programs, and look for SPSS among the programs resident on yourcomputer.

When you find SPSS For Windows, highlight it and then click.1

If neither of these alternatives works, you can panic if you like. Better yet, tryusing one of the additional options outlined in Footnote 1 or ask your instructorfor assistance.

After launching SPSS, you may see an SPSS for Windows dialog box asking“What would you like to do?”2 For now, click on the Cancel button or the “X”(Close button) in the upper right hand corner, and this box will disappear. SPSSwill finish loading and you should see something like what is shown in thefollowing screen.

1 A third option is to click the Start button and move your cursor up the list of Documents. At this point you shouldbe able to see if DEMO.SAV, EXER.SAV, or a similar data set is listed as a recently used document. If so, highlightit and click. This will load both SPSS and the data file. A fourth option is to use the My Computer icon on your desk-top to locate either SPSS or a recently used SPSS file such as DEMO.SAV or EXER.SAV. Once you have located eitherSPSS or a recently used file, highlight and click to load the file and/or program.

2 If you do not see this dialog box, don’t worry. It just means that someone using SPSS before you requested thatthis box NOT be displayed every time the program is opened.

38 Adventures in Social Research


After each new SPSS command is introduced, you will see a summary of thecommand in a box like the one below (SPSS Command 5.1). The box contains abrief description of the command, as well as a summary of how to accomplishthe procedure. You will also find a list of new SPSS commands at the end of thechapter. In addition, CD-Appendix G contains a comprehensive list of all the SPSScommands introduced in the text.

SPSS Command 5.1: Starting an SPSS Session

Once you are in Windows you have two major options:

Option 1:

Double-click SPSS icon

Option 2:

Click Start � Programs � SPSS for Windows

Demonstration 5.2: BecomingAcquainted with the SPSS Data Editor

Once SPSS opens, you will notice that most of the screen is taken up by the SPSSData Editor. You can find that name in the title bar on the top left-hand side ofyour screen.

The Data Editor displays the contents of the active file. However, because wehaven’t loaded any data yet, the screen is currently empty (thus the name“Untitled – SPSS Data Editor”).

If you look to the bottom left-hand corner of the screen you will notice thatthere are two “tabs” representing the two primary components of the Data Editor:Data View and Variable View. Both screens contain important information about

Chapter 5: Using SPSS 39


the data you are working with. The Data View screen is designed to hold raw datafor analysis, while the Variable View screen contains information about that data.

We are going to examine each aspect of the Data Editor in turn, beginningwith the Data View screen (Demonstrations 5.3-5.11).

Demonstration 5.3: Data ViewPortion of the Data Editor – Menu Bar

The Data View screen is designed to hold data for analysis. If you wished, youcould enter data directly into the screen now and analyze it. Instead, however, weare going to load the GSS data set into the screen in a moment.

Directly beneath the title bar is a set of menus called a menu bar, running fromFile on the left to Help on the right. You are going to become very familiar withthese menus, because they are the control system or the primary means throughwhich you will operate SPSS.

As a preview, click on the word File on the menu bar and a drop down menuwill appear. Notice how some commands in the drop down menu appear black,whereas others are faint gray. Whenever you see a list like this, you can executethe black commands (by clicking on them), but the gray ones are not currentlyavailable to you. Right now, for example, you could Open a data set, but you can’tSave it because there’s nothing to be saved at this time.

You will also notice that some of the options in the drop down menu (i.e New,Open, Open Database, Recently Used Data, and Recently Used Files) are followed bya right pointing arrow. These are several additional commands which will appear ona sub-menu when the category is picked. If you hold your cursor over Open for amoment, you will notice that a sub-menu of options appears on the screen.

Now click on the word File again, and the list disappears. Do that to get ridof the File menu now, and we’ll come back to it shortly.



Demonstration 5.4: Getting Help

At the far right-hand side of the menu bar you will see the SPSS Help menu, some-thing that you may want to take note of in case you need to use it later. As you arenow aware, SPSS is a powerful state-of-the-art statistical package that allows usersto accomplish numerous tasks and procedures. While this textbook will introduceyou to a variety of SPSS commands, options, and procedures, we cannot hope tocover all of the program’s capabilities. If you find that you want to use SPSS toperform a procedure that is not covered in the text or if you have a question orproblem that hasn’t been addressed in the book, you may want to consult theHelp feature. All you have to do is click on the word Help and a drop down menucontaining several options will appear.

The first option available in the Help menu is Topics. Click on Topics to openthe Help Topics: SPSS for Windows dialog box. This box gives you several optionsfor getting assistance. The “Contents” tab, for example, is useful if you are look-ing for general information or are unsure of what index term to use to find whatyou’re looking for. Now click on the “Index” tab found in the upper left-hand sideof the dialog box. The index tab is organized in alphabetical order and provides asearchable index that makes it easy to find specific topics. To close The HelpTopics dialog box, simply click on Cancel or the “X” (close button) in the upperright-hand corner.

Another Help feature that you may find useful is the online tutorial that givesa comprehensive overview of SPSS basics. You can access the tutorial by clickingHelp and then selecting Tutorial in the drop down menu. You will have an oppor-tunity to explore the tutorial in the exercises at the end of this chapter.

SPSS Command 5.2: Accessing the Help Menu


Click Help � select the Help option you wish to access(i.e., Topics, Tutorial, etc. . . .)

These are just some of the Help features available. In addition to the Helpmenu, assistance is also available in other ways. We will mention some of these aswe go on.

Demonstration 5.5: Tool Bar

In addition to the menu bar, a second common way to communicate with SPSS isthrough the use of the tool bar. The tool bar is the line of buttons or “tools” run-ning from left to right directly below the menu bar. While you can use the menubar and drop down menus to perform most tasks, sometimes it is easier to justclick a button on the tool bar.

You can find out what tasks each button on the tool bar performs by placingyour cursor on the button and waiting a moment until a brief description of thetool pops up on the screen. For instance, if you place your cursor on the buttontoward the left end of the toolbar that contains a picture of a disk, you will soonsee the words “Save File” pop up on the screen. This, of course, lets us know thatwe can use this tool to save a file.


If you want to take a moment to explore what other tools are available on thetool bar, you can do that now. Otherwise we will move ahead.

Demonstration 5.6: Dialog Boxes

Often when you click on one of the tool bars or choose an option from the menubar, SPSS responds by opening a dialog box. Recall a few moments ago when youclicked on Help and chose Topics from the drop down menu, SPSS responded byopening the Help Topics: SPSS for Windows dialog box. Similarly, if you click onthe Open File tool on the far left-hand side of your tool bar (the tool depicting apartially opened file), SPSS responds by displaying the Open File dialog box.

Dialog boxes, such as Open File and Help Topics, are important because theytell you what else SPSS needs to know in order to fulfill your command. In short,they serve as a collection of prompts or hints indicating what other information isnecessary in order for SPSS to comply with your command.

Recall earlier when we said that there are other ways to get assistance beyondusing the Help option on the menu bar. One of the primary ways in which toaccess assistance on SPSS is through dialog boxes. There are three primary waysto get help once you have opened a dialog box.

The first option is to right click on any control in the dialog box to display adescription of the option and directions for its use. The second option is to clickon the Help push button. Most dialog boxes contain a Help button that takes youdirectly to the Help Topic for that particular dialog box. This Help Topic will pro-vide you with general information and links to related issues. A third option is toclick on the small question mark in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box,then move your cursor to the command or control you need help with and click.



After a moment, information regarding that command and directions for its usewill be displayed on your screen.

SPSS Command 5.3: Getting Help in a Dialog Box


Option 1:

Right click on any control/command

Option 2:

Click on Help push button

Option 3:

Click on question mark (?) in upper right hand corner -> click oncommand/control need help with

Demonstration 5.7: ScrollBars – Moving Through the Data Editor

So far we have introduced you to three important bars, the title, menu, and toolbars. Before we move ahead we want to mention one last set of bars which willmake it easier for you to move through the Data Editor: the scroll bars.

The horizontal scroll bar situated across the bottom right side of your screenallows you to move from left to right, while the vertical bar located on the far rightside of your screen allows you to move up and down.

In addition to using the scroll bars, you can also use your cursor or the arrowkeys on the keyboard to move through the data screen. If you take a moment to


experiment with these options, you may notice that you can move the active cell(the cell in the screen with the thick black lines around it). Once a cell has beendesignated as the active cell you can go ahead and enter data in it (or if dataalready exists, modify it), something which we are going to focus on in the nextdemonstration.

SPSS Command 5.4: Moving Through the Data Screen


Option 1:

Use horizontal and/or vertical scroll bars

Option 2:

Use cursor � click

Option 3:

Use arrow keys on key pad

Demonstration 5.8: Entering Data—A Preview

Take a moment now to designate the cell in the far upper left-hand corner as theactive cell. Once you have done that, you are ready to begin entering data foranalysis. In fact, if you decide to conduct your own survey later on, this is howyou would enter those data. As a quick preview of this feature, type a 1 and pressthe Enter key on your keyboard.

You have now created the world’s smallest data set: with one piece of infor-mation about one person. The 1 on the left of the screen represents Person 1. If youentered another number as you did just above, you would have brought Person 2into existence with one piece of information. Why don’t you do that now—entera 2 for that person.


The var00001 at the head of the column in the screen represents the specificinformation we are storing about each person. It might represent his or hergender, for example. Moreover, a value of 1.00 might mean male and a value of2.00 might mean female. Therefore, we would have indicated that Person 1 is aman, Person 2 a woman.

This is the basic structure of the data sets analyzed by SPSS. The good newsfor you is that we’ve already prepared large data sets for your use, so you won’thave to keep entering data like this. However, if you are interested in using SPSSto create your own data file, you may want to consult Chapter 21, which takes youthrough this process step-by-step.

Before loading our GSS data, we want to close the small data set that we justcreated. To do that, click File, followed by New and then Data. At this point SPSS willask you if you want to “save the contents of data editor to Untitled?” which is just afancy way of asking if you want to save the “world’s smallest data set” which we justcreated. Because we are not interested in saving this data set, click No. If we wantedto save the data, we would click Yes and follow the instructions in the dialog box.

Demonstration 5.9: Loading a Data Set

At this point you should once again be looking at an empty screen. But not forlong, because we are finally ready to load one of the GSS data sets provided withthis book. This is easily done in SPSS for Windows. Once you insert the CD thatcame with this book in the CD-ROM drive, you have two options. If you wish touse the menu bar, simply click File, and then from the drop down menu chooseOpen, and Data. If you want to use the tool bar, all you have to do is click on theOpen File tool. Either way, SPSS will respond by displaying the Open File dialogbox as shown below. This box will assist us in selecting the data set we want.



In order to access the DEMO.SAV file on your CD simply follow these instruc-tions. Click on the Look in field and select the drive that contains your CD (usu-ally it will be the [D:] drive). Next, double click on the Documents folder. Thenmake sure SPSS-format data files (.sav extension) are displayed in the Files oftype: drop down list. If not, simply click on the down arrow and select the suffixfor SPSS for Windows data files, SPSS (*.sav). Now you should see names of thefiles on your CD. To select DEMO.SAV highlight it and double click or click theOpen button in the lower right corner of the dialog box. In a few seconds, SPSSwill display the GSS data in the Data View portion of the Data Editor.

SPSS Command 5.5: Opening a Data File


Option 1: Menu Bar

Click on File � Open � Data �

Option 2: Tool Bar

Click on Open File tool �

Once the Open File dialog box is displayed:

Click on the Look in field: � Select the drive that contains your CD � Doubleclick on Documents folder � Click down arrow to choose SPSS (*.sav) fromFiles of type: drop down list � highlight the name of the data file � doubleclick OR click Open

Demonstration 5.10: Raw Data inData View – Respondents and Columns

Now you should be looking at the data in the DEMO.SAV file. This is the GSS datawe will be using for the demonstrations in the body of each chapter. The infor-mation in the Data View portion of the Data Editor consists of variables andrespondents or cases.



Each row (horizontal) represents a person or respondent to the survey (whatis sometimes referred to as a case). Based on our discussion in Chapter 4, wealready know the DEMO.SAV file has 1,500 rows representing each of the 1,500respondents or cases. You may want to take a few minutes to scroll from the firstcase or respondent (row 1) to the last respondent (row 1500).

Each column (vertical) represents a variable, indicated by the abbreviatedvariable name in the column heading. This data set contains 41 variables orcolumns. If you scroll from left to right across the screen, you can see this filecontains variables ranging from ID and ABANY to WORKHARD and XMOVIE.

You can get a brief description of each abbreviated variable name by placingyour cursor on the variable name at the top of the columns and waiting for a momentuntil the description pops up on the screen. For instance, if you place the cursor onthe variable name ATTEND, a brief description of the variable that reads “How oftenR [respondent] attends religious services” will magically appear on your screen.

Demonstration 5.11: FindingVariable Information – Values and Labels

Now turn your attention to respondent record number 1 and the variable MARI-TAL. Be careful not to confuse the record numbers, which run down the far left sideof the screen, with the “ID” numbers (an actual variable, listed in the first column).

You will notice that respondent record number 1 has a 5 in the column for MAR-ITAL. This variable reflects respondents’ marital statuses (if you forgot that, simplyplace your cursor on the variable name at the head of the column and a briefdescription of the variable will appear on your screen). As you may recall from thelist of variables in Appendix A, a 5 (the numeric value or code) on MARITAL meansthe respondent has never been married (the value label). If you didn’t recall this,don’t worry. There are several ways you can use SPSS to access the information.

Option 1: Variables Dialog Box

One option is to click on the Utilities menu and select Variables.Alternatively, you can click on the Variables icon on the tool bar (the one with thequestion mark on it). Either way, SPSS will respond by opening the Variablesdialog box as shown below.


As you can see, the Variables box has two main parts. On the left is a list of thevariables contained in our data set. On the right side is some information aboutthe highlighted variable ID.

Now click on the variable ABANY in the list on the left side of the box. Noticehow information about the highlighted variable ABANY is displayed on the rightside of the dialog box, including the information we are looking for: numericvalues and value labels. This box tells us that for the variable ABANY, a “1”(value) means “yes” (label), a “2” (value) means “no” (label), and so on.

Consequently, if you didn’t recall what a value of “5” on MARITAL means,you can easily access the information by scrolling down through the list of vari-ables until you see MARITAL.3 Now click on MARITAL, and this is what youshould see.

The box on the right side tells us that anyone with a code of 1 is married, any-one with a 2 is widowed, and so forth. You might want to take a minute to exploresome of the other variables in the data set, because it will be useful for you to befamiliar with them later on.

SPSS Command 5.6 (1): Finding Information on Variables


3 In addition to scrolling, there are several other ways to move through the list of variables on the left side. You can,for instance, click on the up and down arrows on the right-hand side of the variable list. You can also use the arrowkeys on your keyboard or type the first letter of the variable’s name. The highlight will then move to the first variablethat begins with that letter in your data set.

Option 1: Variables Box

Click Utilities � Variables � OR click on the Variables icon on the tool barhighlight variable name in list on left side


When you get bored with the Variables box, there are a couple of ways toleave it. You can either click the Close button or the “X.” Either will produce thesame result.

Option 2: Toggling Between Numeric Values and Value Labels

Another way to find out what a numeric value (such as a “5” on MARITAL)means is to click on View in the menu bar. Then click on Value Labels in the dropdown menu. This command tells SPSS to change the numeric values in the datascreen into descriptive value labels. You will see, for instance, that the numericvalue “5” under MARITAL for respondent 1 has been replaced by a descriptivevalue label indicating that the respondent has never been married.

To display numeric values in the data screen once again, all you have to do isclick on View. You will now see a check mark next to Value Labels in the dropdown menu. Click on Value Labels and the check mark will disappear. Youshould now see the numeric values in the data screen once again. This process ofswitching back and forth between numeric values and value labels is known astoggling.



Option 2: Toggling

Click View � Value Labels

Option 3: “Value Labels” Tool

A third way to discover what a numeric value refers to is to click on the but-ton in the tool bar which looks like a price tag, the Value Labels tool (second from


the right side of the tool bar). You will notice that the numeric values in the datascreen have now magically changed into value labels. To change the value labelsback into numeric values, all you have to do is click on the Value Labels tool onceagain.



Option 3: Value Labels Tool

Click Value Labels tool

Demonstration 5.12: Variable View Tab

A fourth way to determine value labels is through the Variable View portion of theData Editor. So far we have focused primarily on the Data View screen, whichcontains the raw data for analysis. However, the Variable View tab also containsimportant information about the data in your file. In particular, Variable Viewcontains descriptions of the attributes of each variable in your data file.

Click on the Variable View tab at the bottom left side of the screen. You willnotice that in Variable View, rows represent variables. Take a moment and scrollfrom the first variable ID (row 1) to XMOVIE (row 41).

Unlike Data View, here each column is an attribute associated with the vari-ables. The ten columns or attributes are listed below, followed by a brief descriptionof their contents:

Name Abbreviated variable name (i.e., ID, ABANY, ABDEFECT)

Type Data type (numeric)


Width Number of digits or characters

Decimals Number of decimal places

Labels Variable labels or description of variable (i.e., respondentIdentification; Abortion if woman wants it for any reason; strongchance of serious defect)

Values Values and labels (i.e., ABANY – 0 = NAP, 1 = Yes, 2 = No, 8 = DK,9 = NA)

Missing Missing values (values designated as missing)

Columns Column width (width of column in Data View)

Align Alignment (alignment of data in Data View, either to right, left, orcenter)

Measure Level of measurement (i.e., Nominal, Ordinal, Scale)

When in Variable View you can add or delete variables and modify the attrib-utes of each variable. We will focus more specifically on how to modify attributesin Variable View later in the text.

For now it is enough that you are aware the Values column in the VariableView window is another way to find information about values and labels.Earlier, for instance, we were focusing on the variable MARITAL. In VariableView identify the cell corresponding with the variable MARITAL (row) and thecolumn Values. Now double-click in the far right side of that cell (intersectionbetween MARITAL and Values) and the Value Labels dialog box will open. Oncethe dialog box opens you can see that the values and labels for the variableMARITAL are listed. To close the box, click Close or the “X” in the upper righthand corner.



Option 4: Variable View

In the Variable View portion of the Data Editor. . .

Click on cell corresponding with the variable at question (row)and Value (column)

Demonstration 5.13:Windows Options – Minimizing and Reducing

Before concluding our introduction to SPSS, it is important to mention a coupleof Windows options that you may find useful. Notice that there are three smallbuttons in the upper right corner of the screen. Click the leftmost button, the onewith heavy underscore on it.


Notice that the window has disappeared! Not to worry. Look now at the taskbar at the bottom of the screen and locate the button titled DEMO.SAV. Click it.

Aha! The window didn’t exactly disappear; Windows says it was minimized.That’s certainly not an overstatement. This feature will be very useful to you onceyou have several documents on the screen at once. The minimize option lets youmove windows out of the way without actually closing them.

Now click the middle button and notice how the window shrinks. If you clickon the window’s title bar and hold your mouse button down, you can drag thewindow around the screen. Sometimes this is a useful alternative to minimizing awindow. Click the middle button again, and the window once more fills the screen.



Demonstration 5.14: Ending Your SPSS Session

When you’ve finished for this session, you have a few options. First, you can usethe last of the three windows options we just mentioned. To do so, simply click onthe “X” in the upper right hand corner. If you click it now, SPSS will ask if youwant to save the contents of the data editor. Because the data set is already saved,we can safely click the No button now. If you had entered your own data orchanged the existing data set, you definitely would have wanted to save the dataand the computer would have asked you to name the new data set.

You can also end your session by clicking File and then Exit. Before terminat-ing your session, SPSS will ask if you want to save the file. Once again we can clickNo because we have not altered the data file.

SPSS Command 5.7: Ending Your SPSS Session


Option 1: Close Button

Click on “X” (Close button)

Option 2: File Menu

Click File � Exit

Conclusion

In this first encounter, you’ve learned how to launch SPSS for Windows, load adata set, and explore it. In the next chapter, we’ll revisit some of the variables inthe data set and see how SPSS lets us explore more deeply than we’ve done in thisfirst incursion.

Main Points

■ Because SPSS is generalized, we use SPSS commands to tell it what to specifi-cally do.

■ To issue commands to SPSS, you usually click or double-click on the button onthe left side of your mouse.

■ There are two main options for starting an SPSS session.■ The SPSS Data Editor is a screen designed to enter, display, and hold data for

analysis.■ The two major components of the Data Editor are Data View and Variable

View screens.■ The Data View screen contains the raw data on your file.■ Variable View contains descriptions of the attributes of each of the variables on

your data file.■ The menu bar, drop down menus, tool bars, and dialog boxes are the primary

means by which you operate SPSS for Windows.■ You can use SPSS to either enter data or load an existing data set, such as the

data provided on the CD that came with this book.■ In Data View, rows represent respondents or cases, and columns represent

variables.


■ Once you have loaded your data set, you can explore the data and find outwhat values refer to by looking in the Variables box, toggling, using the ValueLabels tool, or accessing the Values column in Variable View.

■ In Variable View, each row is a variable and each column is an attribute asso-ciated with the variables.

■ If you are using several documents at once, you may want to take advantageof Windows minimizing and reducing options.

■ Once you finish your SPSS session, you can easily exit by selecting Fileand Exit. If you entered data or changed an existing data set, do not forget tosave it.

Key Terms

SPSS Commands Introduced in This Chapter

5.1 Starting an SPSS Session5.2 Accessing the Help Menu5.3 Getting Help in a Dialog Box5.4 Moving Through the Data Screen5.5 Opening a Data File5.6 Finding Information on Variables5.7 Ending Your SPSS Session

Review Questions

1. What are the two main sections (tabs) in the SPSS Data Editor?

2. What type of information does the Data View screen contain?

3. What type of information does Variable View screen contain?

4. In Data View, Rows represent __________ and Columns represent __________.

5. In Variable View, Rows represent __________ and Columns represent ________.

6. If a researcher has conducted a survey and wants to enter the raw data intoSPSS, would she enter it into the Data View, Variable View, or Utilities Viewportion of the Data Editor?

SPSS iconTool barRespondent Dialog boxCommand push buttonCaseData EditorPush button with ellipsisRecord NumberTitle barText boxNumeric value (value)

Data ViewCheck boxCodeVariable ViewRadio buttonValue label (label)Menu barScroll barsTogglingDrop down menuActive cell



7. If you have a question or problem, what is one of the features SPSS providesto offer you assistance?

8. If you don’t recall what a value of a particular variable in your data set means,what three SPSS commands can you use to find this information?

9. What does “toggling” refer to?

10. If you are using several documents at once, what Windows features mightyou want to take advantage of?

11. If you use SPSS to enter your own data or change an existing data set, whatone thing should you do before ending your SPSS session?




SPSS LAB EXERCISE 5.1

NAME ______________________________________________________________________

CLASS ______________________________________________________________________

INSTRUCTOR ______________________________________________________________________

DATE ______________________________________________________________________

To complete the following exercises, load the data file EXER.SAV (found on the CD thatcame with this book). You can find answers to selected Questions (1-8) in Appendix B.

1. What does the variable GRWTHARM measure (hint: in Data View,place cursor on column heading to determine descriptive variable labelOR in Variable View, double click on cell corresponding withGRWTHARM and Label)?

2. Using the variable GRWTHARM, note the numeric value for each ofthe following respondents (listed by record number, the column on thefar left side of the screen). Then open the Variables dialog box todetermine the value label:

Numeric Value Value LabelRecord #89 ____________________________________________________Record #837 ___________________________________________________Record #1243 __________________________________________________

3. What does the variable GRNPRICE measure?

4. Using the variable GRNPRICE, note the numeric value for each of thefollowing respondents (listed by record number). Then use the togglecommand to determine the appropriate value label:

Numeric Value Value LabelRecord #1 _____________________________________________________Record #500 ___________________________________________________Record #1500 __________________________________________________

5. What does the variable GRNTAXES measure?

6. Using the variable GRNTAXES, note the numeric value for each of thefollowing respondents (listed by record number). Then use the valuelabels tool to determine the appropriate value label:


Numeric Value Value LabelRecord #11 ____________________________________________________Record #902 ___________________________________________________Record #1236 __________________________________________________

7. What does the variable GRNSOL measure?

8. Using the variable GRNSOL, note the numeric value for each of thefollowing respondents (listed by record number). Then access theVariable View tab, identify the cell which corresponds with GRNSOL andthe Values column, and double-click to access the Value Labels dialogbox. Use the Value Labels box to determine the appropriate value label.

Numeric Value Value LabelRecord #7 _____________________________________________________Record #389 ___________________________________________________Record #495 ___________________________________________________

9. Select any variable from the EXER.SAV file that interests you (otherthan those we have worked with previously in this exercise). Then useSPSS to find the following variable information:a. What is the abbreviated variable name?_________________________b. What does the variable measure (i.e., variable label)?

c. List the numeric values and value labels for the variable.Numeric Value Value Label

d. Choose three respondents and list how they responded to thevariable/question item you chose (list case number, numeric value,and value label).

Numeric Value Value LabelCase # _____________________________________________________Case # _____________________________________________________Case # _____________________________________________________

10. Access the SPSS Help feature Tutorial. Hint: Click Help � Tutorial � Click on the Table of Contentsbutton/icon on bottom right side of the screen (icon that looks likea house).Once you have opened the Table of Contents, work your waythrough the following aspects � of the tutorial: Introduction;Using the Help System; and Reading Data. To exit or close the Tutorial, click on the “X” (Close button) ORFile � Close ORTo return to the Data Editor, click on the EXER.SAV button at thebottom of your screen.


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