Assignment : Working with Descriptive Statistics
1. Review the SPSS Tutorial on Data Handling, from this and what you now know after having read chapters 5-7 in the textbook by George and Mallery (pp. 72-79 specifically), and having completed the SPSS Tutorial on Data Handling in generate a question that you may have that the data in could answer. For example (and now you cannot use this question) "What is the number of student participants in the study by year in college?
2. Next, open SPSS, and locate the file that you generated when you completed that assignment. Using the skills that you learned after completing the SPSS Tutorial on Data Handling, the reading and lessons in chapters 5-7 in the textbook by George and Mallery (pp. 72-79 specifically),and parts 1 & 2 in the Steinberg textbook (pp. 43-47 specifically), run the descriptive statistic that will answer your question.
3. Create a histogram. You may want to superimpose a normal curve on it. Feel free to use other tables and graphs. MOST IMPORTANTLY, KEEP THIS SIMPLE; THE QUESTION THAT YOU ASK IS DESCRIPTIVE. HOW MUCH, HOW OFTEN. USE ONLY ONE STATISTIC AND ONE VARIABLE AT A TIME. DO NOT ASK A QUESTION WITH TWO VARIABLES. WE ARE DOING DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS. WE ARE NOT DOING INFERENTIAL STATS YET.
4. Compare the look of your graph to the statistics on Table 5 (located in the lecture under Characterizing Frequency Distributions
5. Discuss what you found. How did running the descriptive statistic answer your question? Interpret the data in terms of the behavior of each variable. Use the vocabulary and statistical language presented in this module to describe your graph and findings.
6. Discuss your finding with your classmates by commenting on at least two of your peers' posts and responding to what is written about your post
7. As you describe what you found, be sure you give credit to any sources (our textbooks etc.) where you paraphrase or quote definitions, meanings etc. and use APA style in your works cited/bibliography at the end of your paper.
Discuss these findings with your classmates and instructor online.