An Spss Companion to Political Analysis

by Pollock, Philip H., III

• ISBN13: 9781608716876
• ISBN10: 1608716872
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-07-19
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

In this much-anticipated revision of Pollock#x19;s popular SPSS workbook, students dive headfirst into actual political data and work with a software tool that prepares them for future political science research. Students learn by doing with guided examples, more than 120 screenshots, and step-bystep instructions. Compatible with all releases of SPSS (12.0 through 19.0, as well as the student version), the new fourth edition includes brand-new or completely revised exercises. Two new datasets (2008 NES and 2008 GSS) and two revised datasets (on the 50 states and on 191 countries of the world) feature an expanded number of variables to provide greater latitude for performing original analysis.

Table of Contents

Getting Started

Dataset CD

Full Version SPSS and Student Version SPSS: What Is the Difference?

Installing Student Version

Notes

Introduction to SPSS

The Data Editor

a Must-Do: Setting Options for Variable Lists

The Viewer

Selecting, Printing, and Saving Output Exercises

Notes

Descriptive Statistics

Interpreting Measures of Central Tendency and Variation

Describing Nominal Variables

Describing Ordinal Variables

Describing Interval Variables

Obtaining Case-level Information with Case Summaries

Exercises

Notes

Transforming Variables

Using Recode

Recoding a Nominal-level Variable

Recoding an Interval-level Variable

Using Visual Binning

Collapsing an Interval-level Variable with Visual Binning

Using Compute

Exercises

Notes

Making Comparisons

Using Crosstabs

Using Compare Means

Graphing Relationships

Using Line Chart

Using Bar Chart

Using the Chart Editor

Exercises

Notes

Making Controlled Comparisons

Using Crosstabs with Layers

Obtaining and Editing Clustered Bar Charts

Using Compare Means with Layers and Obtaining Multiple Line Charts

Example of an Interaction Relationship

Example of an Additive Relationship

Exercises

Notes

Making Inferences about Sample Means

Using Descriptives and One-Sample T Test

Using Independent-Samples T Test

Exercises

Notes

Chi-square and Measures of Association

Analyzing an Ordinal-Level Relationship

Summary

Analyzing an Ordinal-Level Relationship with a Control Variable

Analyzing a Nominal-Level Relationship with a Control Variable

a Problem with Lambda

Exercises

Notes

Correlation and Linear Regression

Using Correlate and Regression --> Linear

Producing and Editing a Scatterplot

Exploring Multivariate Relationships with Regression --> Linear

Exercises

Notes

Dummy Variables and Interaction Effects

Regression with Dummy Variables

Interaction Effects in Multiple Regression

Using Compute for Interaction Variables

Exercises

Notes

Logistic Regression

Using Regression --> Binary Logistic

Logistic Regression with Multiple Independent Variables

Working with Predicted Probabilities: Models with One Independent Variable

Working with Predicted Probabilities: Models with Multiple Independent Variables

The Sample Averages Method

The Probability Profile Method

Exercises

Notes

Doing Your Own Political Analysis

Five Doable Ideas

Political Knowledge

Economic Performance and Election Outcomes

Judicial Selection and Public Opinion

Electoral Turnout in Comparative Perspective

Congress

Doing Research on the U.S. Senate

Finding Raw Data

How to Code Raw Data

Two Possible Coding Shortcuts

Using the SPSS Text Import Wizard

Writing It Up

The Research Question

Previous Research

Data, Hypotheses, and Analysis

Conclusions and Implications

Notes

Appendix

Descriptions of Constructed Variables in GSS2008

Descriptions of Variables in States

Description of Variables in World

Description of Variables and Constructed Scales in NES2008

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