Getting Started With Spss Printable PDF

Getting started with SPSS
About this free course

This free course is an adapted extract from the Open University course DSE212 Exploring Psychology:
www.open.ac.uk/courses/modules/dse212.
This version of the content may include video, images and interactive content that may not be optimised
for your device.
You can experience this free course as it was originally designed on OpenLearn, the home of free
learning from The Open University –
www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting-started-spss/con-
tent-section-0
There you’ll also be able to track your progress via your activity record, which you can use to
demonstrate your learning.
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Designed and edited by The Open University

Contents
Learning Outcomes 5
Introduction 6
1 The SPSS statistics tutorial 6
1.1 Introduction 6
1.2 Hints before you start 7
2 How to start SPSS 8
3 Using the Menu 8
4 Adding variables 9
5 Obtaining descriptive statistics 10
6 Correlation 11
7 Independent T-Tests 11
8 Paired samples T-Tests 12
Conclusion 13
Keep on learning 14
Acknowledgements 15
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
l understand how to start SPSS
l define a variety of statistical variables
l enter basic data into SPSS
l carry out a statistical analysis that can test hypotheses.

Introduction
Introduction
The aim of this tutorial is to help students new to statistics and new to SPSS to learn how
to get started with studying statistics using the software package SPSS. For many
students statistics represent an area that they are concerned about, either because they
have had little experience of statistics before, or due to concerns over the mathematics
that might be involved.
Statistics learning often involves the additional issue of software such as SPSS. Although
this helps to cut down the amount of mathematics that students will have to do in
practising statistics, it can sometimes add another layer of complexity to learning
statistics.
As a result of both concerns over understanding the mathematics underlying statistics,
and learning the software at the same time, some students may develop anxiety around
their own learning of statistics.
The aim of this course has been to develop a resource for students who may lack
confidence in mathematics and/or computing. Often, resources that are available involve
some mathematics, or are statistic descriptions of the use of the software. More recently
the role of immersion in learning has become a topic of interest. Based on this and on a
consideration of the research on statistics learning, we have designed a series of
interactive tutorials for learning statistics and SPSS. They are presented in this course as
seven separate activities.
Other statistical software packages are available and may also be suitable for those who
wish to carry out statistical research. Links to two such alternatives are provided below.
The Open University is not recommending or endorsing SPSS or any other statistical
software, and the URLs provided are for the purpose of illustrating that other such
software packages are available. The URLs are for ease of access only and do not
illustrate any recommendation or endorsement that the software available is in any way fit
for purpose.
l SPSS Statistics
l SAS products and solutions
l Minitab statistical software
This OpenLearn course provides a sample of Level 2 Social sciences
1 The SPSS statistics tutorial
1.1 Introduction
This online tutorial is designed to help you familiarise yourself with the software package
SPSS and learn about basic statistics. You will need to follow the instructions within each
activity in the sequence presented to complete the course.

1 The SPSS statistics tutorial
Some activities have questions, whilst others will encourage you to explore the various
software options. All are designed to help you think about how SPSS works and how to
carry out some basic statistical work.
All the required work for this course takes place within each activity – nothing is
downloaded onto your computer. You do, however, require the latest version of Adobe
Flash Player to have been installed on your computer before you can start an activity.
If you do not already have Flash Player on your computer, you can download it from
Adobe.
Please note that the software package SPSS is not provided with this course. The course
is designed as a series of activities that can be used to help you familiarise yourself with
some basic statistical analyses and how they can be carried out in SPSS.
1.2 Hints before you start

Each section of this course requires you to follow a series of instructions such as:
“Press the Enter button”
“Place your mouse over the radio buttons …”
Each activity should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Here is a summary of the
activities in this course:
Activity 1: How to start SPSS
This is recommended if you have not had any experience with SPSS and are fairly new to
computers.
Activity 2: Using the Menu
This is recommended to enable you to get an interactive overview of the different menu
options. This should help to put your mind at ease about learning SPSS.
Activity 3: Adding variables
If you are doing any work with SPSS, the chances are that you will be required add
variables to SPSS as this constitutes the way raw data is entered into SPSS.
Activity 4: Obtaining descriptive statistics
At the most basic level of statistics we want to know what our data looks like and be able
to describe it. This course will show you how to get basic descriptive statistics from your
data in SPSS.
Activity 5: Correlation
This is one of the simpler statistical tests you will use. This activity shows you how to carry
out a correlation.
Activity 6: Independent T-Tests
This is one of two t-test types. It is used when you have two groups of individuals and you
are making a comparison between the two groups, for example through an experiment.
Activity 7: Paired Samples T-Tests
This is one of two t-test types. It is used when your design is a ‘within participants’ design.
In ‘within participants’ designs, participants contribute data for the dependent variable in
all conditions. You would also use a paired samples test if you adopted a matched
samples design (for example when comparing twins).

2 How to start SPSS
2 How to start SPSS
Activity 1
0 20
This activity shows you how to start the SPSS software, navigate a computer desktop
to find a file called Trends chapter 14, and then open it.
You will be requested to follow a series of simple instructions in order to achieve these
tasks.
All of this activity takes place in the simulated desktop below. No software is loaded
onto your computer. To proceed with the activity follow these instructions:
l click once anywhere on the image of the screen below (the image won't change)
l follow the instructions shown on the screen image (i.e. first press 'Enter').
Interactive content is not available in this format.
3 Using the Menu
Activity 2
0 20
This activity follows the previous one by opening with a window showing the Trends 14
data file. You are encouraged to explore the menus by using the SPSS software. Each
item has been annotated to provide you with a brief overview of the menus. Click on
each of the menus to discover what options are available to you. We have created a
feature that allows you to hide the parts of the menus you are not likely to need in order
to use SPSS. We hope this helps you feel less anxious about how much you need to
know about the software.
Hint
Try looking at the following menus:
l File
l Edit
l View
l Data
l Transform
l Analyze
l Graphs
l Utilities

4 Adding variables
l Window
l Help
To proceed with the activity, click once anywhere on the image below, then follow the
instructions within the Flash animation.
4 Adding variables
Activity 3
0 20
This activity demonstrates how you can enter data into SPSS. You will examine some
data related to the height and weight of a small group of people. A hypothesis is made
that height and weight are related or that there is a difference between men and
women.
Hint
You may find it helpful to be able to define the variables that you are going to use in this
activity in advance.
Likewise if you are able to define the following terms it will aid your completion of this
section:
l Categorical variable
l Integers
l Decimals
l Individual observation (participant or case)
At the end of this activity you are provided with a simple dataset in PDF format that you
can use to experiment with data entry into SPSS. You can open the file directly or save
it for use at a later date.
Click ‘Document’ to open the simple dataset.

Document

5 Obtaining descriptive statistics
5 Obtaining descriptive statistics
Activity 4
0 20
This activity demonstrates how a simple dataset can be used to produce some basic
statistics. You will see how the data from a simple experiment can be described in a
number of different ways.
The experiment used in this simulation compares the effects of reading from text that is
printed on different types of coloured paper. There are three variables to consider:
l paper;
l the number of words read;
l the memory score.
There are two types of paper in the experiment: white and yellow.
Hint
You may find it helpful to be able to define the differences between:
l a variable;
l a dependent variable;
l an independent variable.
Also, you may want to consider how important the size of your sample is when trying to
draw conclusions from your statistics.
Be prepared to explore the following statistical results:
l N
l Range
l Minimum
l Maximum
l Mean
l Standard deviation

6 Correlation
6 Correlation
Activity 5
0 20
This activity demonstrates how a simple correlation analysis can be carried out.
Correlations tell us about the relationship between pairs of variables. For example:
l shoe size and height;

l age and language learning performance.
The example used in this activity relates to the influence of personality on time
perception. The expectation is that there is a relationship between personality and time
perception. The experimental hypothesis predicts that ‘there is a negative correlation
between extraversion and time perception’.
Hint
You may find it helpful to read about the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). It
scores for extraversion and neuroticism. A sample of this data is used in the activity.
The following variables are used:
Age is generally recorded to rule it out as a confounding variable.

Gender is usually recorded as a control variable.
Extraversion is one of the three personality traits measured by the EPQ.
Neuroticism is one of the three personality traits measured by the EPQ.
Estimation is the time estimated by participants in the study.
7 Independent T-Tests
Activity 6
0 20
This activity introduces the independent t-test – a powerful test to use when you are
comparing two groups or conditions. There are two variants of the t-test:
l independent t-test;
l paired samples t-tests.

8 Paired samples T-Tests
The independent t-test is used when you have two groups of individuals or cases. For
example:
l male versus female;

l experimental versus control group.
Data files are set up differently according to which t-test is chosen. In addition there are
separate menus in SPSS for each type of t-test. Finally, each t-test will produce
different outputs.
The data file used in this activity is based on a study by Montello, Lovelace, Golledge
and Self (1999). It looks at gender differences in spatial abilities, including map
reading.
The experimental hypothesis for this study would be that:
There is a difference between males and females in spatial reading ability

with males performing better in spatial tasks than females.
Hint
Remember that for an independent t-test the data file should have at least two columns
– one for the independent variable and one for the dependent variable.
8 Paired samples T-Tests
Activity 7
0 20
This activity introduces the paired samples t-test. It is also known as the ‘within
participants’ or ‘related’ t-test. It is used when your design is within participants,
i.e. where participants contribute data for the dependent variable in all conditions. If
participants were to contribute to two conditions, for example an experimental and
control condition, then a paired samples t-test is used.
Remember that there are two variants of the t-test:
l independent t-test;
l paired samples t-tests.
Data files are set up differently according to which t-test is chosen. In addition there are
separate menus in SPSS for each type of t-test. Finally, each t-test will produce
different outputs.
In this activity you will examine data from a training evaluation known as pre-post
design. A pre-post design measures how effective a training course can be by taking a
base line measure before the training commences (pre). Training then takes place.

Conclusion
Another reading is then taken (post) by the same instrument used during the baseline
measurement. Comparisons are then made between the pre and post data.
The actual dataset is similar to that found in a study by Grant (2007). He looked at the
improvement in coaching skills and emotional intelligence in a group of students
training to become life skills and personal coaches. Grant assessed these variables
using:
l Goal-focused Coaching Skills Questionnaire (GCSQ);

l Shuttle Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS).
The experimental hypothesis for this activity is that:
There will be a significant increase in coaching skills (as measured by the

GCSQ) following the coaching training.
Hint
Once again, it is important to remember that there will be one independent variable –
with two conditions, for example:
l pre and post;

l experimental and control.
Please observe that the same participants are providing the data for each condition.
This is a requirement for using the paired samples t-test.
Conclusion
In this course you have been introduced to the software package SPSS and how to enter
and manipulate some simple data. You should now have a good understanding of how to
open SPSS, define variables, and enter a variety of data into the package.
A simple dataset was provided at the end of the third activity so that you can experiment
with SPSS at a later date.

Keep on learning
Keep on learning
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Acknowledgements
Newsletter –
www.open.edu/openlearn/about-openlearn/subscribe-the-openlearn-newsletter
Acknowledgements
This free course is an adapted extract from the course DSE212 Exploring psychology,
which is currently out of presentation.
The content of this course was developed by Volker Patent, Faculty of Social Science at
the Open University. The work was funded by the Higher Education Academy and the
content is released under the Creative Commons Licence.
Course image: Thomas Galvez in Flickr made available under
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Licence.
The Open University gratefully acknowledges the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
Psychology Network for its financial support to the development of SPSS which forms part
of the Open University course DSE211.
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Getting started with SPSS

About this free course

2 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

3 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

5 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

This OpenLearn course provides a sample of Level 2 Social sciences

1 The SPSS statistics tutorial

6 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

1.2 Hints before you start

7 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

2 How to start SPSS

Interactive content is not available in this format.

3 Using the Menu

8 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

Interactive content is not available in this format.

Interactive content is not available in this format.

Click ‘Document’ to open the simple dataset.

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5 Obtaining descriptive statistics

You may find it helpful to be able to define the differences between:

Interactive content is not available in this format.

10 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

l shoe size and height;

Age is generally recorded to rule it out as a confounding variable.

Interactive content is not available in this format.

11 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

l male versus female;

There is a difference between males and females in spatial reading ability

Interactive content is not available in this format.

8 Paired samples T-Tests

12 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

l Goal-focused Coaching Skills Questionnaire (GCSQ);

The experimental hypothesis for this activity is that:

There will be a significant increase in coaching skills (as measured by the

l pre and post;

Interactive content is not available in this format.

13 of 15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/people-politics-law/politics-policy-people/sociology/getting- Thursday 6 December 2018

Study another free course

Take your studies further

What’s new from OpenLearn?

For reference, full URLs to pages listed above:

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