An SPSS Companion to Political Analysis

Getting Started
Dataset CD
Full Version SPSS and Student Version SPSS: What Is the Difference?
Installing Student Version
Notes
Introduction to SPSS
The Data Editor
A Must-Do: Setting Options for Variable Lists
The Viewer
Selecting, Printing, and Saving Output Exercises
Notes
Descriptive Statistics
Interpreting Measures of Central Tendency and Variation
Describing Nominal Variables
Describing Ordinal Variables
Describing Interval Variables
Obtaining Case-level Information with Case Summaries
Exercises
Notes
Transforming Variables
Using Recode
Recoding a Nominal-level Variable
Recoding an Interval-level Variable
Using Visual Binning
Collapsing an Interval-level Variable with Visual Binning
Using Compute
Exercises
Notes
Making Comparisons
Using Crosstabs
Using Compare Means
Graphing Relationships
Using Line Chart
Using Bar Chart
Using the Chart Editor
Exercises
Notes
Making Controlled Comparisons
Using Crosstabs with Layers
Obtaining and Editing Clustered Bar Charts
Using Compare Means with Layers and Obtaining Multiple Line Charts
Example of an Interaction Relationship
Example of an Additive Relationship
Exercises
Notes
Making Inferences about Sample Means
Using Descriptives and One-Sample T Test
Using Independent-Samples T Test
Exercises
Notes
Chi-square and Measures of Association
Analyzing an Ordinal-Level Relationship
Summary
Analyzing an Ordinal-Level Relationship with a Control Variable
Analyzing a Nominal-Level Relationship with a Control Variable
A Problem with Lambda
Exercises
Notes
Correlation and Linear Regression
Using Correlate and Regression --> Linear
Producing and Editing a Scatterplot
Exploring Multivariate Relationships with Regression --> Linear
Exercises
Notes
Dummy Variables and Interaction Effects
Regression with Dummy Variables
Interaction Effects in Multiple Regression
Using Compute for Interaction Variables
Exercises
Notes
Logistic Regression
Using Regression --> Binary Logistic
Logistic Regression with Multiple Independent Variables
Working with Predicted Probabilities: Models with One Independent Variable
Working with Predicted Probabilities: Models with Multiple Independent Variables
The Sample Averages Method
The Probability Profile Method
Exercises
Notes
Doing Your Own Political Analysis
Five Doable Ideas
Political Knowledge
Economic Performance and Election Outcomes
Judicial Selection and Public Opinion
Electoral Turnout in Comparative Perspective
Congress
Doing Research on the U.S. Senate
Finding Raw Data
How to Code Raw Data
Two Possible Coding Shortcuts
Using the SPSS Text Import Wizard
Writing It Up
The Research Question
Previous Research
Data, Hypotheses, and Analysis
Conclusions and Implications
Notes
Appendix
Table A-1 Descriptions of Constructed Variables in GSS2008
Table A-2 Descriptions of Variables in States
Table A-3 Description of Variables in World
Table A-4 Description of Variables and Constructed Scales in NES2008