SPSS Report

Interpreting your Outputs. This is to be typed on a separate page.
For all 70 participants
1. Create an APA-stype table that describes the mean, median, and standard deviation for the continuing and returning students separately.
2. Using the histograms and the descriptive table you just created, assess whether your Scores variable is symmetrically distributed or not. Assess the shape of the distribution for each age group separately (including the outliers). Use at least two of the criteria listed in Practice 2. Use qualifying terms, such as moderately skewed, or generally normal.
3. Using the table you created, compare the two groups using means. Who did better on the statistics exam–the returning or continuing students? Refer to the bar graph. The way we do that in APA style is to write our description and then in parentheses say something like (See Figure 1). If you are using SPSS, you can copy your graph right into your report by choosing Copy Special and Image, then pasting into your document (select Paste from the Edit menu in most word-processing programs). In earlier versions Copy usually works to do the same. Be sure to add a figure caption below the graphs.
4. Then compare the two groups using medians. Do you come to the same conclusion as you did when you compared the means?
5. Finally compare the two groups standard deviations. What do you conclude about the standard deviations of the two groups?
Comparing all 70 participants to sample with outliers removed
6. Create a descriptive table comparable to the one you did in #2.
7. What happens to the means when you remove outliers? Include the two-age bar graph for the sample with deleted outliers. How should you interpret those changes?
8. What happened to the medians when you removed outliers? Was the effect the same or different as with means?
9. What happens to standard deviations when you remove outliers? How should you interpret those changes?
10. What are the pros (answers 8-10) and cons of eliminating outliers?
Write your answers to these 10 questions in a section labeled Analysis.

Grading Scheme
The following is my grading scheme. It shows you what to turn in and the order of elements.
JOB
Possible
Score
SPSS printouts
Data File with variables adequately named
10
Value labels appropriately created
5
Variables (IV and DV) hand calculated means and counts
5
Means or counts checked off for each statistical program (Frequencies, Explore, Bar Graphs)
5
Frequencies–all subjects, with quartiles, s, min-max, mean-mdn-mode
5
Stem-and-leaf, histograms, boxplots –two groups separately
5
Bar graph for two age groups for 70 participants
5
Stem-and-leaf, histograms, boxplots –two groups with outliers deleted
5
Bar graph for two age groups with outliers deleted
5
Analysis
5
Descriptive table for 70 participants
5
Judge shape of distribution–by group
5
Comparison of means in text
5
Include two-age bar graph in analysis when comparing means
5
Comparison of medians
5
Comparison of standard deviations
5
Descriptive table for 67 participants
5
Changes in mean comparison as result of eliminating outliers
5
Changes in median comparison as result of eliminating outliers
5
Changes in SD comparison as result of eliminating outliers
5
Comparison of two-age bar graphs with and without outliers
5
Advantages of eliminating outliers
5
Justified to eliminate outliers?
5
Points off for tardiness (5 points per day)
TOTAL
115

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