Statistical Analysis by Computer | SPSS

SPSS Software
In early days of computing, the late 1940s and early 1950s, researchers wrote their own statistical programes. Commertial software for statistical work eventually appeared. BMDP, SAS, and SPSS all trace their ancestry back to the days when the computers were monster sized. Vastly improved , these packages are now available on diffrent versions and face stiff competition from dozens of newcomers, such as ABstat, FASTAT, Microstat, Minitab, P-Stat, Statistix, and SYSTAT.

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
A software to analyze a large volume of social science data.

Statistics is a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population parameters.
Social science is the branch of science that studies society and the relationships of individual within a society.
Psychological test is the standerdized instrument consisting a large number of items designed to measure objectively one or more aspects of a total personality by means of samples of verbal or non verbal responses, or by means of other behavior. It is also defined as a test which has number of items, where each item is representing a behavioral situation to which a behavior response is given, which is then quantified. Mental testing is done to find out individual differences. For the purpose of comparison quantification is very important.

Formulas work well with small batches of data, but for information collected for a research project grows volumnous. The statistical analysis of a large data set is practical only if accumulated at high speed. Researchers thus welcome computers, for manipulating great quantities of information.What a computor does is specified by software, a programe of instructions.

Over 82 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot to try to prove a point. You can conclude just about anything if you’re not careful with your data and with your calculations. SPSS watches the performance of the calculations
for you, but the raw data, and which calculations should be performed, is up to you.

At Stanford University in the late 1960s, Norman H. Nie, C. Hadlai (Tex) Hull, and Dale H. Bent developed the original software system named Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

There are four ways to talk to SPSS, which one is best depends on the task to be performed and which interface you prefer.
1.GUI (graphic user interface)
2.Syntax
3.Python
4.Scripts

GUI is a fill-in-the-blanks approach to statistical analysis that guides you through the process of making choices and
selecting values. The advantage of the GUI approach is that, at each step, SPSS will make sure that you enter everything necessary before proceeding to the next step.

Syntax This is the internal language used to command actions from SPSS. It is often referred to as the command language.

Python is a general-purpose language that has a collection of SPSS modules written for it, making it possible to write programs that work inside SPSS. It can be run with the Syntax language to command SPSS to perform statistical functions. One advantage of using Python is the fact that it is a modern language and gives you the power and convenience that come with languages today, including the ability to construct a more readable program.

Script:The items that SPSS calls scripts are actually programs written in BASIC. This language is simple and many people are familiar with it. Also, a BASIC program can be written as an auto script — a script that
executes automatically when SPSS produces certain output.

SPSS works with numbers. A number is assigned to each of the possible answers, and these numbers are fed through the statistical process. SPSS uses the numbers, not the words, so be careful about keeping all your words and numbers straight.

FUNDAMENTAL MECHANICS
#Always begin by defining a set of variables, then you enter data for the variables to create a number of cases.
#After your data is entered into SPSS — your cases are all defined by values stored in the variables — you can run an analysis. To run an analysis, you select the one you want to run from the menu, select appropriate variables, and click the OK button.
#You can instruct SPSS to draw graphs and charts the same way you instruct it to do an analysis.
#SPSS require that you select a sufficient number of variables to produce output, it also requires that you choose the right kinds of variables.
#All output from SPSS goes to the same place — a dialog box named SPSS Viewer. It opens to display the results of whatever you’ve done.

Our input to machine must include both the data and commands specifying the operations that the machine is to perform on the data.
Your most valuable possession is your data. Make sure you make backup copies of your data. Back up your data to memory that does not live in the same building with the computer you are using.

This is just an introduction of SPSS to the beginners.You can dive as deep as you want.

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