We got a question from Alex about the pinning option in the new spss version 14.0.0
“I’ve just moved to version 14.0.0 and am looking for the “pin”
function, which allows all columns to the left of the selected column to
be locked in place while moving through the columns to the right. As I
recall, that function used to be available by right clicking on the
right-most column to be locked. But, I can’t find that function now and
I don’t find it under the “help”-funtion. Is it really gone?”
Lucky for you the function is not gone. The old somewhat limited “pinning” feature has been replaced with far more flexible pane splitting. Go the help index and type “pane splitter” for a description on how this works. You can also use the Window>Split menu item.
April 9th, 2006
We got a question from Tom:
“I’m doing research. In this research I had interviews with 20 different
persons. The interviews were open questions (so not only yes/no answers,
but also yes/no/sometimes/only when.. etc)
I am looking for a way to translate the answers into SPSS, so I can make
graphs and percentages for each question (For example: 25% answered yes, 30%
answered no, 2 % answered only when etc.)
Is there an easy way to deal with my problem?”
To begin, SPSS is not meant for analyzing open answers. You can not easily make graphs out of this kind of data. SPSS maximum character input for string fields (used for open answers) is 255. This means you cannot input long pieces of code in the SPSS file.
The only way to create graphs and tables (with counts, percentages etc.) is to categorise the answers the respondents gave you. If you have for example a question with the answers:
Q: Do you you use product 3?
A’s:
- Yes, I have used it for three years now, mainly for purpose X, Y and Z
- No, I have no idea what product you are talking about. But for purpose Z and B I often use product 4 from this and this supplier….
- Yes, I hate to admit it, but I use it
- Yes, I use it all day, for purpose Z
- Yes, for purpose Z
- No, but would like to use it
You could categorise it into the following variables:
1 = Yes, often
2 = Yes, sometimes
3 = No, but I am interested
4 = No, and not interest to use it
April 7th, 2006
andris
This week Nouredine sent us the following question:
“I would like to receive some information and instructions on how i can
conduct an analyse on SPSS with an output that is a priority matrix (
relevance vs score).”
A priority matrix, also called “Quadrant analysis” or “Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA)”, is a comparison chart which shows the importance ranking and the mean satisfaction of a number of elements. In SPSS there is no graph that has the same name, but you can get this kind of matrix by creating a Scatter plot. In our previous post your find a link to a video instruction on how to make a scatter plot.
April 5th, 2006
andris