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SPSS Frequently Asked Questions

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Data Management

• How do I convert among SAS, SPSS and Stata files?
• How can I read hierarchical data into SPSS?
• How can I compare two data files in SPSS?
• How can SPSS help me document my data?
• How can I convert string variables into date variables?
• How do I create and modify string (character) variables?
• How can I see the number of missing values and patterns of missing values in my data file?
• How can I get a count of how many cases are missing in a string variable?
• How can I easily convert a string variable into a categorical numeric variable?
• How can I change a string variable into a numeric variable?
• How can I find differently ordered pairs in my data?
• How can I create multiple grand-mean centered or group-mean centered variables?
• How can I form all possible pairs in my dataset?
• How can I move my data from SPSS to Mplus?
• How can I create a new variable that contains the slopes from a regression analysis by group?
• What kinds of new variables can I make with the create command?
• What are some of the differences between the compute, create and shift values commands?
• How to create a variable that contains the number of reciprocal friends?
• How can I calculate time at dropout?

Analysis of Variance

• How can I do ANOVA contrasts in SPSS?
• How can I plot ANOVA cell means in SPSS?
• How can I test differences in means using a cell means model?
• How can I do tests of simple main effects in SPSS?
• How can I do repeated measures anova with covariates in SPSS?
• How can I explain a three-way interaction in ANOVA?
• How can I use the lmatrix subcommand to understand a three-way interaction in ANOVA?
• How can I use aggregate and OMS to help explain a three-way interaction in ANOVA?

Regression

• How do I interpret the parameter estimates for dummy variables in regression or glm?
• How can I compare regression coefficients between two groups?
• How can I compare regression coefficients across three (or more) groups?
• How can I do a scatterplot with regression line in SPSS?
• How do I test a group of variables in SPSS regression?
• How can I output the results of my regression to an SPSS data file?
• How can I perform a Sobel test on a single mediation effect in SPSS?
• How can I analyze multiple mediators in SPSS?
• How can I run a piecewise regression in SPSS?
• How can I perform hypothesis tests in glm?
• How can I get out-of-sample predicted values?

Logistic Regression

• How do I interpret odds ratios in logistic regression?

Multilevel

• How can I perform mediation with multilevel data? (Method 2)
• How can I test contrasts and interaction contrasts in a mixed model?
• How can I create multiple grand-mean centered or group-mean centered variables?
• How can I graph the predicted values from the fixed part of my mixed command?

General Statistics

• How do I standardize variables in SPSS?
• How do I interpret the results from crosstabs?
• How can I analyze my data by categories?
• How can I run a logistic regression with only a constant in the model?
• How can I calculate a Kappa Statistic for variables with unequal ranges of scores?
• What does Cronbach's Alpha mean?
• Why do I get different values of kurtosis in SAS, Stata and SPSS?
• How can I test for equality of distribution?

Graphics

• How can I graph two (or more) groups using different symbols?
• How can I display overlapping data points on a scatterplot?

Other

• How can I loop through two lists of variables?
• How can I write a Python program to rename variables in SPSS?
• What types of weights do SAS, Stata and SPSS support?
• What does the keyword "to" indicate in SPSS?
• How can I output my results to a data file in SPSS?
• Why can't I see my variables in some of the SPSS dialog boxes?
• How can I renew my SPSS license?