Analysis Helps
Part I
Sociology 481
Winter 2009
I. Download data set
Select and download data set
Click on the data set and it will open into SPSS
OR
Open SPSS, click “open” “data” and browse to find your data set and click on it.
Example: MTF (20022)
II. Run Frequencies
Run frequencies on variables
Click “analyze”
Move the names of the variables you want to run into the “variables” box
Click “OK”
Example: V8 v2150
III. Transform Variables
1.
Compute
Click “Transform” tab
Click “compute”
Type in a variable name and variable label
Identify the variables you want to use to make the new variable
Click “OK” and the new variable is created
Example: Compute “Religiosity” by combining V2169 and V2170
2.
Recode
Click “Transform” tab
Click “recode” into different variables
Dialogue box: select variable to recode, name new variable
Click “old and new values” and select your values
Click “continue”
Click “OK” and the recoded variable is created
Example:
3.
V2108: Recode into all who have participated in binge drinking and those
that have not.
Use syntax file to create more complicated variables
“File”, “New”, “Syntax,” Type in commands.
Example to create variable “Twopar” to identify all those respondents who live with both
parents:
do if (v2155 eq 1 and v2156 eq 1).
compute twopar =1.
else.
compute twopar=0.
end if.
execute.
IV. Run Frequencies and/or Descriptives
1.
Run frequencies on all categorical variables
Click “analyze”
Move the names of the variables you want to run into the “variables” box
Click “OK”
2.
Run descriptives on continuous variables
Click “descriptive statistics”
Click “frequencies”
Move the names of the variables you want to run into the “variables” box
Click “OK”
3.
Define your missing data
Look at the frequencies to determine if there are any values that you do not want in your
analysis.
Go to the SPSS data file, click on the “variable view” tab in the lower left of the screen.
Click on the “missing” column.
Click the variable you want to change and click the gray box.
Select the values that you want to set as “missing”
Click “OK” and then re-run your frequencies to make sure all of your values are in the
specified range.
V. Create a descriptive table that shows the name, range, mean, and SD of variables
Table 1
Descriptive Statistics of Variables
Minimum
Maximum
Mean
SD
Gender (1=female)
0
1
0.49
0.5
Live with both parents
(0=no, 1=yes)
0
1
0.727
0.446
Binge Drinking (1=yes)
0.0
1
0.169
0.374
VI. Multivariate Analysis
You need to choose an appropriate way to control for relevant confounding variables. This may
be multiple level crosstabs, logistic regression, linear regression, partial correlation, or another
appropriate procedure.
1.
Multilevel Crosstabs
Click “Analyze”
Click “Descriptive Statistics”
Click “Crosstabs”
Move your independent variable into the “Columns” table
Move your dependent variable into the “Rows” table
Move your control variable into the “Layer 1 of 1” box
Click “cells” and check “column” under percentages
Click “Statistics” and an appropriate correlation
Click OK
2.
Linear Regression (For continuous dependent variables)
Click “analyze”
Click “regression”
Click “linear”
Place your dependent variable in the “dependent” box
Place you independent variables in the “Independent(s)” box
Click OK
3.
Logistic Regression (For dichotomous dependent variables)
Click “analyze”
Click “regression”
Click “binary logistic”
Place your dependent variable in the “dependent” box
Place you independent variables in the “covariates” box
Click OK
See consultants in 116 SWKT for computer and statistical help.
In addition, I am available during my office hours and by appointment
Percent Who Received Call Back by Race and Prison Record
40
34
35
30
Percent Called
25
Black
White
20
17
14
15
10
5
5
0
Record
No Record
Prison Record