SPSS Exercises

[GSS10SSDS] 

1. Use the Frequencies procedure to investigate the variability of the respondent’s current age (AGE) and age when the respondent’s first child was born (AGEKDBRN). Click on Analyze, Descriptive Statistics, Frequencies, and then Statistics. Select the appropriate measures of variability.

  1. Which variable has more variability? Use more than one statistic to answer this question.
  2. Why should one variable have more variability than the other from a societal perspective? 

2. Using the Explore procedure, separate the statistics for AGEKDBRN for men and women, selecting SEX as a factor variable in the Explore window. Click on Analyze, Descriptive Statistics, Explore, and then insert AGEKDBRN into the Dependent List and SEX in the Factor List. What differences exist in the age of men and women at the birth of their first child? Assess the differences between men and women based on measures of central tendency and variability.

3. Repeat the procedure in Exercise 2, investigating the dispersion in the variables EDUC (education) and PRESTG80 (occupational prestige score). Select your own factor (nominal) variable to make the comparison (such as CLASS, RACECEN1, or some other factor). Click on Analyze, Descriptive Statistics, Explore, and insert EDUC and PRESTG80 into the Dependent List and your factor variable of choice in the Factor List. In a paragraph or two, use appropriate measures of variability to summarize the results.

4. Using GSS10SSDS, investigate respondents’ confidence of the military (CONARMY) and the press (CONPRESS).

  1. First, use SPSS to identify the level of measurement for each variable.
  2. Based on the level of measurement for each variable, what would be the appropriate measures of central tendency? What are the appropriate measures of variability?
  3. Use SPSS and your calculator if necessary to calculate the appropriate measures of central ten­dency and variability for each variable.
  4. Do respondents more positively view press or military performance?
  5. Examine whether or not your answer toward (d) varies by gender. Hint: You may want to use the Data and Split File feature.

5. Use GSS10SSDS to study the number of hours that blacks and whites work each week. The vari­able HRS1 measures the number of hours a respondent worked the week before the interview. Use the Explore procedure to study the variability of hours worked, comparing blacks and whites (RACECEN1) in the GSS sample.

  1. Is there a difference between the two groups in the variability of work hours?
  2. Write a short paragraph describing the box plot that SPSS created as if you were writing a report and had included the box plot as a chart to support your conclusions about the difference between blacks and whites in the variability (and central tendency) of hours worked.