SPSS Explained

Perry R. Hinton, Isabella McMurray, Charlotte Brownlow

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317753100
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

SPSS Explained provides the student with all that they need to undertake statistical analysis using SPSS. It combines a step-by-step approach to each procedure with easy to follow screenshots at each stage of the process. A number of other helpful features are provided:

• regular advice boxes with tips specific to each test

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• explanations divided into 'essential' and 'advanced' sections to suit readers at different levels

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• frequently asked questions at the end of each chapter.

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The first edition of this popular book has been fully updated for IBM SPSS version 21 and also includes:

• chapters that explain bootstrapping and how this is used

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• an introduction to binary logistic regression

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• coverage of new features such as Chart Builder.

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Presented in full colour and with a fresh, reader-friendly layout, this fully updated new edition also comes with a companion website featuring an array of supplementary resources for students.

The authors have many years of experience in teaching SPSS to students from a wide range of disciplines. Their understanding of SPSS users' concerns, as well as a knowledge of the type of questions students ask, form the foundation of this book.

Minimal prior knowledge is assumed, so the book is well designed for the novice user, but it will also be a useful reference source for those developing their own expertise in SPSS. It is suitable for all students who need to do statistical analysis using SPSS in various departments including Psychology, Social Science, Business Studies, Nursing, Education, Health and Sport Science, Communication and Media, Geography, and Biology.

Introduction

1

THE BOOK OUTLINE

THE CHAPTER OUTLINE

This is very much a ‘how to’ book, in that we provide the reader with the information on how to perform a number of statistical tests with SPSS. We provide screen shots of SPSS at each stage of the procedure from inputting data to performing the test. The reader can use the book alongside the computer following the analysis on the screen and referring to the information in the book. The procedures and screen shots used in this 2nd edition of SPSS Explained are from version 21 of IBM SPSS (throughout the book to be known as SPSS).

If we were to write a book that explained every single test that can be performed using SPSS with all the possible variations, then it would be an extremely large book. SPSS is a large and flexible statistics application, which can include a number of optional add-ons, and requires more than is possible in this book to explain everything it can do. However, that is not our purpose. We, as experienced teachers and academic advisers of undergraduates, have found that there is a core set of statistical tests common to many undergraduate programmes, particularly in the social sciences, and we shall focus on these. We have found that these tests are also extremely useful in a number of research areas and across a number of subjects. So this book explains a set of statistical analyses that are applicable to a wide range of research situations beyond the undergraduate programme. There are some extremely complex tests that can be performed on SPSS, and to be performed properly they do require a good knowledge of statistics, often beyond that of an undergraduate student. But all our explanations will be pitched at the level of the student learning to use SPSS at the same time as learning about statistical analysis. We hope that this level of explanation also appeals to the wider readership of this book.

Some basic understanding of statistics must be assumed in a book like this, as there is not the scope to explain concepts such as the mean and standard deviation as well as explaining the SPSS procedures. However, we attempt to make as few assumptions as possible so that someone new to statistical analysis can still follow the book. But readers are advised to consult a basic statistics textbook to pick up an understanding of statistical tests. A book that complements this text is Statistics Explained by Perry Hinton. (See Hinton, P.R. (2014) Statistics Explained, 3rd edition, Hove: Routledge.) Look out for the green cross-reference box (see Hinton, 2014), which indicates when it would be useful to refer to that text for further information.

See Hinton, 2014

SPSS displays a lot of tables, not all of which are easy for a new user to understand, and it also uses terminology that is not always familiar. Where these situations arise, we try to make clear the importance of each table, and to explain the different terminology used. Words written in bold in this book indicate an SPSS instruction, dialogue box, output table, or table item.

THE BOOK OUTLINE

The chapters are set out so that the reader can work through the book from the beginning, where we discuss basic SPSS skills, to more advanced statistical procedures. However, each chapter can be dipped into in order to undertake a specific test.

Initially, Chapter 2 introduces the reader to thinking about the data they have collected and how they will actually enter it into SPSS. The book naturally progresses on to basic procedures in SPSS (Chapters 3 and 4) such as producing descriptive statistics and creating graphs, before moving on to explain key concepts of statistical testing (Chapter 5). We then examine two sample tests in SPSS such as the independent and related t tests (Chapter 6) and then go on to discuss some background information regarding the general linear model, the model underlying most of the tests examined in the book (Chapter 7). We then go on to describe the procedure and explain the output for a variety of ANOVAs (Chapters 8 and 9) and multivariate analysis of variance (Chapter 10). The book then moves on to some nonparametric analysis, detailing two commonly used nonparametric tests: the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon (Chapters 11) and also nonparametric k samples (Chapter 12), where ‘k’ indicates any number from 2 upwards. Chapters 13 to 15 examine tests of association, including the chi-square test of independence and goodness of fit, linear correlation and regression, binary logistic regression, and multiple correlation and regression. The final two chapters introduce the reader to factor analysis (Chapter 16) and reliability analysis (Chapter 17).

THE CHAPTER OUTLINE

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the test and the assumptions required to undertake it appropriately. Following this we show how to perform the test using SPSS, and select commonly used options, with each stage of the procedure clearly described. Finally, the output from SPSS is presented and each table and graph is explained.

Explanation sections

We have also divided our explanations below the output tables into two aspects: essential and advanced.

SPSS essential

■ The essential section details the output that we believe is required in order to understand that the test has been carried out correctly and includes the information necessary to report the results of the test.

■ Someone new to SPSS might find it more manageable to work their way through the output understanding the essential information first.

SPSS advanced

■ Often SPSS appears to produce more tables and complex information that initially you may be told just to ignore. As users get more confident with working with SPSS they might wish to examine what this part of the output means.

■ We have labelled these aspects of the output as advanced in that they are very useful to understand but do require a little more advanced understanding of statistics to fully appreciate.

Advice boxes

Within each chapter you will find a number of boxes with ticks in them.

✓

It is a good idea to read the advice boxes as they offer you reminders of information previously discussed or general, useful advice.

Frequently asked questions

Finally, at the end of each chapter we have included a frequently asked questions section entitled FAQ.

FAQ

What does the FAQ section of the chapter contain, and why is it there?

This section includes many of the questions we have been asked in our teaching and ‘advisory drop-in’ sessions for our own students. Indeed, the experience of listening to students’ concerns about their statistical analysis has been a major motivation for writing the book. We have found that students’ questions are not always addressed in textbooks. Sometimes students feel embarrassed to ask their lecturers to explain these problems, thinking themselves to be at fault (‘I knew statistics would be hard!’). For example, if you have made a mistake while entering data, SPSS informs you that you have made an error but sometimes you don’t know what you have done wrong, and don’t know how to make it right. The FAQ section of each chapter aims to address some of the questions that students often ask us.

Test selection and summary table

You will notice at the back of the book there is a table which gives you options of decisions to make, such as which research design you have, so that you can navigate your way to selecting the most appropriate statistical test for your data. This table is also useful if you are an experienced user of SPSS and just wish to be reminded of which commands to use.

Accompanying website

This new edition also comes with a companion website featuring supplementary resources for students and teachers of SPSS. Please go to www.routledge.com/cw/hintonfor more details.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Chapter 2 Data Entry
• Chapter 3 Descriptive Statistics
• Chapter 4 Illustrative Statistics
• Chapter 5 Introduction to Statistical Testing
• Chapter 6 t Tests
• Chapter 7 Introduction to Analysis of Variance (General Linear Model)
• Chapter 8 One Factor Analysis of Variance
• Chapter 9 Two Factor Analysis of Variance
• Chapter 10 Introduction to Multivariate Analysis of Variance
• Chapter 11 Nonparametric Two Sample Tests
• Chapter 12 Nonparametric k Sample Tests
• Chapter 13 Chi-Square Test of Independence and Goodness of Fit Test
• Chapter 14 Linear Correlation and Regression
• Chapter 15 Multiple Regression And Multiple Correlation
• Chapter 16 Introduction To Factor Analysis
• Chapter 17 Using Spss to Analyse Questionnaires: Reliability
• Glossary
• Index
• Choosing a Statistical Test