These directions are meant to describe some basic analyses and point the way toward more advanced procedures. As you become more skilled you will find that  very complex analyses can be easily performed. The best way to learn the advanced features of SPSS for Windows is to explore the program using data from an original study. At this stage it will often be necessary to learn by trial-and-error. Learning may be slow and frustrating but keep in mind that SPSS is much faster, convenient, and accurate than computing the analysis by hand. Allow a lot of time for exploring your options and interpreting the output at each stage. Although one correlation can be computed in a few seconds, analysis of an entire study may take weeks or even months. I suggest that every data analysis begin with the "Frequencies" procedure which allows easy identification of outliers and out-of-range data (e.g., a value that is beyond what is allowable). The Frequencies output also allows identification of imbalances in the sample such as too few males or too many first-year students. Once the frequency distributions have been examined, you must return to the original questions that inspired the research to develop your ideas about appropriate analyses.

About the Author

Richard M. Wielkiewicz is a professor in the Psychology Department of the College of St. Benedict.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank SPSS for their permission to publish this helpful guide to their statistical software program.