This document provides an introduction to SPSS, including: - What SPSS is and its advantages such as being easier to use than other programs like R and SAS while allowing complex analyses without getting bogged down in computations. - An overview of the features of SPSS including descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and graphical presentation of data. - Descriptions of the main windows in SPSS - the Data Editor, Output, Syntax Editor, and Chart Editor windows. It explains what each window is used for and how they display different aspects of analyses.

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INTRODUCTION TO SPSS
 What is SPSS?
 SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
 It is a statistical analysis and data management software
package.
 What is a statistical package?
 It is a computer program or set of programs that
provides many different statistical procedures within a
unified framework.

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 The advantage of SPSS:-
 It is much easier to use than most programming languages like R
and SAS.
 It allow to run complex analyses without getting bogged down
/delayed/ (late, not on time) in the details of computations.
 The principle disadvantage of SPSS:-
 It sometimes make doing statistics too easy.
 It is possible to apply complex procedures inappropriately or
 To properly apply a procedure and then misinterpret the results.
 A more common problem is the over-analysis of data.

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 Overview of SPSS for windows
 It provides a powerful statistical analysis and data management
system in a graphical environment based on the user interface
(boundary) facility.
 This program can be used to analyze data from surveys, tests,
observations, etc.
 It can perform a variety of data analyses and presentation functions,
including statistical analysis and graphical presentation of data.

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Among its features some components of ways used for statistical
data analysis are:
 Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, central tendency, plot
charts, and others;
 Sophisticated inferential and multivariate statistical procedures,
such as analysis of variance (ANOVA), factor analysis, cluster
analysis, and categorical data analysis based on logit and probit
model.
 SPSS is particularly well-suited for survey research, though by no
means is it limited to just this topic of exploration.
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 Launching SPSS or how to start and exit
SPSS
 There are many ways to launch SPSS.
 The easiest way is to start it from the Start button located at the bottom
of the Windows desktop.
 Click on the Start button, then click Programs, then SPSS Inc for
windows and finally SPSS 16.0/SPSS 20.0 for windows icon.
 Another method is to double click my computer on the windows
desktop, then the (C:) drive icon, Programs, and finally SPSS icon.
 Double click on this icon
 SPSS Data Editor opens with the window looking approximately as the

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SPSS Data Editor

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 Windows in SPSS
The four most common windows in SPSS are:
1. Data Editor window
2. Output /Viewer/ window
3. Syntax Editor window
4. Chart editor window
1. Data Editor window
This window opens automatically when you start SPSS.
Displays the contents of the current (working) data file.
We can create new data files or modify existing ones with the
Data Editor.
We can have only one data file open at a time.
This window has two views called data view and variable view

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2. Output /Viewer/ window
 This window displays the results of any statistical procedures
that we run and other text.
 In particular, tables, statistics, and charts are displayed in the
Viewer window.
 A Viewer window opens automatically the first time you run a
procedure that generates output.
 This window is not accessible until output has been generated.

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3. Chart Editor Window
 This window is used to edit charts and plots.
 It is only displayed after SPSS has been requested to produce a
plot.
 We can use this window to change the colors, select different
type fonts or sizes, rotate axes, change the chart type, and the
like.

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4. Syntax Editor Window
 Most SPSS commands are accessible from the SPSS menus and
dialog boxes.
 However, some commands and options are available only by
using the SPSS command language.
 In this case the Syntax Window is used.
 We can also use this window if you wish to run SPSS commands
instead of clicking on the pull-down menus.

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 Each window in SPSS has its own menu bar with menu selections
appropriate for that window type.
 The Analyze and Graphs menus are available on all windows,
making it easy to generate new output without having to switch
windows.
 Moreover, each SPSS window has its own toolbar that provides
quick, easy access to common tasks.
 We can activate windows by selecting window from the menu bar
on any of the above windows.
 The bottom of the menu lists all currently open windows and
click on the window we want to activate.

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