SPSS Interface

By
Mohammed Nawaiseh
SPSS version used in this course is V.25
SPSS Windows
● These are called “Editors”. Some of the common Editor windows are:
○ Data Editor (enter and view your data)
○ Syntax Editor (edit your data manipulation syntax)
○ Viewer Editor (view results from your analysis)
○ Chart Editor (edit and save charts in the chart)
Data editor window
● The window where you can see your data, and information about the variables in your dataset. It is also possible to change your data in
this window
● There are two ‘views’ for the Data Editor window:
○ Data view – you can see the actual data in your dataset for each record and each variable; and
○ Variable view – this gives a summary of each variable in your dataset, including the variable name, type, various properties of the
way in which the data are stored, any label(s) for the variable itself and variable values (such as value labels for categories of sex,
which in the dataset may be represented as 1 and 2, relating to male and female).
Data editor window → Data view

Variables

Records
Data editor window → Variable view
The Variable View tab displays the following information, in columns, about each variable in your data:
● NAME
○ Variable names can not contain spaces. Note that when you change the name of a variable, it does not change the data; all values
associated with the variable stay the same. Renaming a variable simply changes the name of that variable while leaving
everything else the same. For example, we may want to rename a variable called Sex to Gender.
○ To change a variable's name, double-click on the name of the variable that you wish to re-name. Type your new variable name.
● TYPE
○ The type of variable (e.g. numeric, string, etc.).
○ The two common types of variables that you are likely to see are numeric and string.
■ NUMERIC → can be used in tests
● Numeric variables have values that are numbers
● Continuous variables that can take on any number in a range (e.g., height, weight, blood pressure, ...)
■ String → can’t be used in tests
● String variables -- which are also called alphanumeric variables or character variables -- have values that are
treated as text. This means that the values of string variables may include numbers, letters, or symbols.
● Ex
○ Zip codes and phone numbers, although composed of numbers, are typically considered string variables
because their values cannot be used meaningfully in calculations.
○ Any written text is considered a string variable
○ The other variable types are all technically numeric, but indicate special formatting. If your data has been recorded in one of these
formats, you must set the variable type appropriately so that SPSS can interpret the variables correctly.
● WIDTH
○ The number of digits displayed for numerical values or the length of a string variable.
● DECIMALS
○ The number of digits to display after a decimal point for values of that variable. Does not apply to string variables. Note that this
changes how the numbers are displayed, but does not change the values in the dataset.
○ Ex → If you specify that values should have two decimal points, they will display as 1.00, 2.00, 3.00, and so on.
Variable View
● LABEL
○ A brief but descriptive definition or display name for the variable. When defined, a variable's label will appear in the output in place
of its name
○ Can have spaces
● VALUES
○ For coded categorical variables, the value label(s) that should be associated with each category abbreviation. Value labels are
useful primarily for categorical (i.e., nominal or ordinal) variables, especially if they have been recorded as codes (e.g., 1, 2, 3). It
is strongly suggested that you give each value a label so that you (and anyone looking at your data or results) understands what
each value represents.
○ When value labels are defined, the labels will display in the output instead of the original codes.Note that defining value labels
only affects the labels associated with each value, and does not change the recorded values themselves.
○ Under the column “Values,” click the cell that corresponds to the variable whose values you wish to label. If the values are
currently undefined, the cell will say “None.” Click the square “…” button. The Value Labels window appears.
● MISSING
○ The user-defined values that indicate data are missing for a variable (e.g., -99). Note that this does not affect or eliminate SPSS's
default missing value code for numeric variables ("."). This column merely allows the user to specify up to three unique missing
value codes; or, to specify a numeric range of values to treat as missing, plus one additional unique missing value code.
● COLUMNS
○ The width of each column in the Data View spreadsheet.
● ALIGN
○ The alignment of content in the cells of the SPSS Data View spreadsheet. Options include left-justified, right-justified, or
center-justified.
Variable View
● MEASURE
○ The level of measurement for the variable (e.g., nominal, ordinal, or scale).
○ Some procedures in SPSS treat categorical and scale variables differently. By default, variables with numeric responses are automatically
detected as “Scale” variables. If the numeric responses actually represent categories, you must change the specified measurement level to the
appropriate setting.
○ Change the measurement level
■ To define a variable's measurement level, click inside the cell corresponding to the “Measure” column for that variable. Then click the
drop-down arrow to select the level of measurement for that variable: Scale, Ordinal, or Nominal.
○ It is vital that you correctly define each variable's measurement level. This setting affects everything from graphs to internal algorithms for
statistical analysis. Incorrectly specifying measurement level can have unintended and potentially disastrous effects on your results.

● ROLE → Not Important

○ The role that a variable will play in your analyses (i.e., independent variable, dependent variable, both independent and dependent). Some
options in SPSS allow you to pre-select variables for particular analyses based on their defined roles. Any variable that meets the role
requirements will be available for use in such analyses. You can choose from the following roles for each variable:
■ Input: The variable will be used as a predictor (independent variable). This is the default assignment for variables.
■ Target: The variable will be used as an outcome (dependent variable).
■ Both: The variable will be used as both a predictor and an outcome (independent and dependent variable).
■ None: The variable has no role assignment.
■ Partition: The variable will partition the data into separate samples.
Variable Type
● Information for the type of each
variable is displayed in the Variable
View tab. Under the “Type” column,
simply click the cell associated with
the variable of interest. A blue “…”
button will appear.
Variable View
● Notice that the Variable name does not contain spaces between words, Unlike Labels which can contain
spaces between words
○ Name → AntibioticGroup
○ Label → Antibiotic Group
● You can add more details in the label
Value Labels window
● Type the first possible value (1) for your
variable in the Value field. In the Label field
type the label exactly as you want it to
display (e.g., "Male"). Click Add when you
are finished defining the value and label.
Your variable value and label will appear in
the center box. Repeat these steps for each
possible value for your variable. When all of
the labels have been defined, the Value
Labels window should look like this:
● Click OK at the bottom of the window
Syntax editor window
● Click on the File menu in the top left corner of your screen, and select New > Syntax:
● Advanced
○ Not going to be discussed in this course
Output viewer window
● Results, tables, graphs
● Any time you do anything in SPSS – even just opening a file – SPSS will document it in the Output Viewer
window. If you don’t already have an output window open, SPSS will open a new one for you, as it did
when we first opened a dataset.
● The output viewer window will keep a record of any and all commands you give SPSS (e.g., open a file,
save a file, etc.), and is also the window in which you can view the results of any data/statistical procedures
undertaken.
Chart Editor → Double click on the chart in the output view to
open and edit the chart