SPSS Basic stats guide Dr. Craig Jackson Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology Faculty of Health Birmingham City University
Types of Data / Variables ContinuousDiscrete BPChildren HeightNo. colds in last 12 months WeightAge last birthday AgeBMI OrdinalNominal Grade of “condition”Sex Positions in race 1 st 2 nd 3 rd Hair colour “Better - Same – Worse”Blood group Height groupsEye colour Age groups Ethnicity
Types of statistics / analyses DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICSDescribing a phenomena FrequenciesHow many… Basic measurementsMeters, seconds, cm 3, IQ INFERENTIAL STATISTICSInferences about phenomena Hypothesis TestingProving or disproving theories Confidence IntervalsIf sample relates to the larger population CorrelationAssociations between phenomena Significance testinge.g diet and health
25 cells 22 cells 24 cells 21 cells Total = 92 cells Mean = 23 cells SD= 1.8 cells Multiple Measurement
NAgeIQ Total Mean20100 SD00 NAgeIQ Total Mean SD± 4.2 ± 19.2 NAgeIQ Total Mean SD± 8.5 ± 30.2 Small samples spoil research
Dispersion RangeSpread of data MeanArithmetic average MedianLocation ModeFrequency SDSpread of data about the mean Range mmHg Mean82mmHgMedian82mmHgMode82mmHg SD± 10mmHg
Central Tendency and Averages Mode MedianMean MedianMean Patient comfort rating Frequency