Analyze Data in SPSS for Central Tendency and Dispersion

The following are the steps of analyzing data for central tendency and dispersion:

• At the top of the screen one is required to click Analyze menu option. Many options are there which needs to be chosen. Different types of analyses are present in the options. Thus one has to choose the appropriate option.


• Now as we are discussing about the measures of central tendency and dispersion in descriptive statistics, we will be concerned about that. So, we will click Descriptive Statistics for computing the measures of central tendency and dispersion.


• Again many options can be viewed when Descriptive Statistics is clicked. One now needs to select and click the option Frequencies.


• Soon after this the Frequencies box containing two windows will appear there. The variable name will be seen in the left window. One is required to shift the variable name from the left to the right window. The reason is that if there exists a long list of variables among which all are not required and only some are needed for analysis, then one can select the required variables by shifting it to the right window. In SPSS, the variables that are present on the right window are the ones which will be analyzed. Thus for analysis purpose one needs to shift the variables from left window to the right one.


• The process of shifting is quite simple. By clicking on the variable one needs to highlight it. A button having an arrow can be viewed in the middle of the two windows, one need to click that button. And thus in this way one can easily shift the variables from the left to the right.


• After one is done with previous step the Statistics button which is at the bottom of the Frequencies box should be clicked.


• One can then view the Frequencies: Statistics box. There are a number of statistics in the box which needs to be used for the data set. Choose only those ones which are necessary. Statistics relating to central tendency and dispersion can be viewed there. Mean, median, mode, standard deviation, range are some of them.


• One is required to select and put a check on the small white box beside each kind of statistics. One can check the boxes by clicking on it. The one which is checked is ready for computation and SPSS will give the result of that particular statistics. Here, we are concerned with central tendency and dispersion , so check those boxes that relates to the topics of central tendency and dispersion. After completing this one should click on the continue button.


• The Frequencies box will reappear. Then Click Ok.


• The outcomes in SPSS or the results or outputs can now be viewed. A output file will be created and this is different from the file of entering data.


• However some things are still left to be done for the data analysis. The final step of saving the output file to a meaningful place with a meaningful name is a very vital step which is left to be done. This is rather same as the data file saved previously. One can save the output file in the same place where data file was saved.


• For saving click File followed by Save. Also one should give a meaningful name which should be slightly different to the data file. For example the name length_output can be given to the output file when the data file is named as length.


• For output files file extension is different. Here the extension is .spo. So, length_output.spo will be the official name to the file.

NB In SPSS one should close the output file before performing another analysis. Closing of output file avoids adding output of the old analysis to those of the new.