SPSS

4/1/2021
Statistical Package Tool Social
Science

Content of SPSS Page No

Meaning 1
Importance 1
Data Editor 3
Output Window 4
System Syntax Editor 5
Script Editor* 6
Tools in data Editor 7
SPSS MENUS :
File 9
Edit 10
View 11
Data 12
Transform 13
Analysis 14
Graphs 15
Utilities 16
Add on* 17
window 18
Help 19

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 Meaning of SPSS
Refer
SPSS is a Software that is widely used as a Statistical Analytic Tool in the Field of Social
Science, Such as Market research, Surveys, Competitor Analysis, and others.

It is a comprehensive and flexible statistical analysis and data management tool.

It is one of the most popular statistical packages which can perform highly complex data
manipulation and analysis with ease.

It is designed for both interactive and non-interactive users.

In my own wordings

SPSS (Statistical package for the social sciences) is the set of software programs that are
combined together in a single package. The basic application of this program is to analyze
scientific data related with the social science. This data can be used for market research,
surveys, data mining, etc.

Importance

1) Data Collection and Organisation

Researchers often use SPSS as data collection tools. The data entry screen in SPSS is very
similar to any other spreadsheet software. We can enter variables and quantitative data and
save the file as a data file. Also, we can organize the data in SPS by assigning properties to
different variables. For example, we can specify a variable as a nominal variable and store
that information in SPSS. The next time we visit a data file, possibly weeks, months, or even
years, we'll be able to see precisely how the data is organized.

2) Data Output

After we collect the data and enter it into the data table in SPSS, we can create the output file
from the data. For example, we can create a frequency distribution of data to determine
whether the dataset is typically distributed. The frequency distribution is displayed in the
output file. We can export the items from the output file and put them into the research article
we're writing. Therefore, we can get a table or graph directly from the SPSS data output file
instead of recreating the chart or graph.

3) Statistical Test

The most apparent use of SPSS is to use the software for statistical testing. SPSS has
statistical tests built into all the most widely used in the software. Therefore, we do not have
to complete any mathematical procedures by hand. After the statistical analysis is run, all

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relevant outputs are displayed in the data output file. We can also transform data by
performing advanced statistical transformations.

4) Test analytical for Survey Program

Surveyors can use this powerful program to get insights into the responses to the open-ended
questions asked during the survey.
Apart from these programs, SPSS is very simple and can be easily understood even by non-
technical students. Performing analysis in this package only involves a simple drag and drop
process. It gives an excellent representation and accurate results of all the data that has been
entered by the researcher.

5) Professional Research

As a statistical tool, SPSS software is very fast in analyzing data and it has minimum errors.
The user has the freedom to choose a graph that will suitably represent the distribution of
their data. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis can be analyzed by the software thus
making the researchers work easier.

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 DATA EDITOR

The Data Editor window is the default window and opens when SPSS starts. This window
displays the content of any open data files and provides drop-down menus that allow you to
modify and analyze data. The data are displayed in a spreadsheet format where columns
represent variables and rows represent cases. The spreadsheet format includes two tabs at the
bottom labeled Data View and Variable View. The Data View tab displays the open data
set: variables appear in columns, and cases appear in rows. The Variable View tab displays
information about variables in the open data (but not the data themselves), such as variable
names, types, and labels, etc. The tab that is currently displayed will be yellow in color.

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 OUTPUT WINDOW

When you perform any command in SPSS, the Output Viewer window opens automatically
and displays a log of the actions taken and the associated output. Primarily, the Output
Viewer is where the results of statistical analysis are shown, but any command invoked
through the drop-down menus or syntax will be printed to the Output Viewer. This includes
opening, closing, or saving a data file. If an Output Viewer window is not open when a
command is run, a new Output Viewer window will automatically be created.

The Output Viewer window is divided into two sections, or frames. The left frame contains
an outline of the content in the Output Viewer. This outline is especially useful when you
have run many SPSS commands and need to locate a particular section of output easily. The
right frame contains the actual output. Clicking on an item in the left frame will jump to that
content in the right frame. Items that have been selected in the right frame are indicated by a
red arrow and a box drawn around the content.

You can modify the contents in the Output Viewer by selecting items in the left or right
frame and copying, pasting, or deleting them. To remove an item from the Output Viewer,
click on its name in the left frame or click on the object itself in the right frame, then press
the Delete key on your keyboard.

An Output Viewer window can be saved as a viewer file (*.spv) so that you can review it
again without having to re-run the same commands in SPSS. To save an Output
Viewer window, click File > Save As. Alternatively, you can export some or all of the
contents in the Viewer window to a new document or image file by clicking File > Export.
In general, you can export all content as a PDF (*.pdf), a PowerPoint file (*.ppt), an Excel

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file (*.xls or *.xlsx), a Word file (*.doc or *.docx), an HTML file (*.htm), or a text file
(*.txt). Graphs can be saved as *.bmp, *.emf, *.eps, *.jpeg, *.png, or *.tif.

SYNTAX EDITOR

SPSS syntax is a programming language unique to SPSS that can be used as an alternative to
the drop-down menus for data manipulation and statistical analyses. The Syntax Editor
window is where users can write, debug,  and execute SPSS syntax. To open a new Syntax
Editor window, click File > New > Syntax.

The right panel of the Syntax Editor window is where your syntax is entered. The left panel
of the Syntax Editor window shows an outline of the commands in your syntax, and can be
used to navigate within your code. You can jump to a specific part of your code by clicking
on the command in the left panel. This feature is useful for showing the start and end points
of a command, especially if the command is longer than one line.

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Syntax can be saved as an *.sps file by clicking File > Save or File > Save As within the
Syntax Editor window.

SCRIPT EDITOR

CONTENT not yet found

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 TOOLS IN DATA EDITOR

 Data View is where we inspect our actual data and

 Variable View is where we see additional information about our data.

You can switch between Data View and Variable View by

 clicking the tabs in the left bottom corner;

 using the shortkey ctrl + t

 double-clicking a variable name in Data View;

 Double-clicking an outline number in Variable View.

DATA VIEW SPSS

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  The data editor has tabs for switching between Data View and Variable View. For now,
make sure you're in Data View.
 Columns of cells are called variables. Each variable has a unique name (“gender”) which
is shown in the column header.
 Rows of cells are called cases. Oftentimes, each respondent in a study is represented as a
single case.
 In SPSS, values refer to cell contents.
 The status bar may give useful information on the data, for instance whether a
WEIGHT, FILTER, SPLIT FILE or Unicode mode is in effect.

VARIABLE VIEW SPSS

 In the left bottom corner we find tabs for switching between Variable View and Data
View. For now, select Variable View.
 In Variable View, variables are shown as rows of cells.
 The first column shows the variable name for each variable.
 The fifth column may or may not contain a variable label. This describes the exact
meaning of each variable.
 The sixth column shows value labels: descriptions of the meaning of one, many or all
values that a variable may contain.
In short, Variable View does not show the data itself but, rather, information about the data.
This is sometimes called “metadata” or “the codebook”. In SPSS, however, it's called the
dictionary.
This is important to know because you may find commands like DISPLAY DICTIONARY
or APPLY DICTIONARY in manuals. If you're familiar with syntax, running.

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 SPSS MENUS
1) File (shortcut Alt + F)
You will probably be familiar with a few of the options here already. Essentially this menu
allows you to Open existing files, create New ones and Print or Save anything that you are
working on.

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2) Edit (shortcut Alt + E)
This menu should be quite familiar if you have used word processors before. Undo and Redo
can help rectify any mistakes you make. Cut, Copy and Paste allow you to move blocks of
numbers from one area of the spreadsheet to another. Find...and Go to Case... allows you to
locate a particular data score or participant, which comes in very handy when you are dealing
with a large sets of data.

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3) View (shortcut Alt + V)
The View menu deals with the visual aspects of the spreadsheet, specifically: what Toolbars
are displayed, which Fonts are used, whether you can see the Grid Lines on the spreadsheet,
or whether Value Labels are shown for your variables.
The last option on this menu is Variables. This allows you to look at or enter details of the
different variables you have used. We will show you how to make use of this later.

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4) Data (shortcut Alt + D)
This menu allows you to organise your data file. You are unlikely to use most of the options
on this menu initially; however a few of the options may come in handy.
For example, you can identify some potential mistakes made in data entry, by flagging
possible duplicate entries of data, using Identify Duplicate Cases. You can Sort Cases in your
dataset (e.g. by numerical or date order) or Sort Variables. You can transpose your data set,
so your rows become columns and vice versa.
Different data sets can be merged using Merge Files. You can use Split File to separate your
data into groups for analysis. And you can also use this menu to create an identical version of
your file with Copy Dataset.

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5) Transform (shortcut Alt + T)
This menu allows you to manipulate your variables.
The Recode options allow you to change the values of specific variables (e.g. if you wanted
to change the coding system you were using).
Compute allows you to create a new variable from existing variables (e.g. if you wanted to
add or average several individual scores, which you might do when scoring a questionnaire).

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6) Analyze (shortcut Alt + A)
The fun really begins here, as it's where the statistical options and tests are located.
This is the menu you are likely to use the most, and you will initially need: Descriptive
Statistics, Compare Means, General Linear Model, Correlate and Regression.

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7) Graphs (shortcut Alt + G)
This menu allows you to present data in graphical form, which will help you understand your
data better. There are a number of different ways of creating graphs in SPSS, but this is a
good place to start.
The Chart Builder allows you to build charts by dragging and dropping variables onto a
virtual canvas. This creates greater flexibility in graphing, but can sometimes be more
complicated than you need. The Legacy Dialogs allow you to create basic, simple graphs in
an easy-to-use manner

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9) Utilities (shortcut Alt + U)
You probably won’t ever use this menu, unless you go beyond basic statistical analysis. In
practice it is useful for creating customised and automated analyses... but please feel free to
ignore it for now.

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9) Add ons (shortcut Alt + O)

Extension (New version in SPSS)

******************** WORK in PROGRESS*******************
Content still not prepare

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10) Window (shortcut Alt + W)
This menu allows you to quickly access other windows that might be hidden from view. This
helps to manage clutter and can be useful when you need to switch from window to window
in SPSS.

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11) Help (shortcut Alt + H)
This menu can be very useful, as it offers you help and information about both the program
system itself, and the statistical tests it offers.
While the Statistics Coach is only helpful to an extent, the online Tutorial options are great if
you are stuck on more procedural tasks (e.g. changing the labels on a graph).

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