SPSS Data Analysis: Descriptive Statistics
Descriptive Statistics
Part 1
Descriptive Statistics
Q1) Provide the means for the following variables:
Age: 28.2349
HHSize: 3.09
Descriptive Statistics |
|||||
N |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Mean |
Std. Deviation |
|
Age |
149 |
2.00 |
56.00 |
28.2349 |
10.68302 |
How many people are living or staying at your address, including yourself? |
150 |
0 |
9 |
3.09 |
1.573 |
Valid N (listwise) |
149 |
Q2) Next, in the menu bar, click on ANALYZE/DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS/FREQUENCIES
What percentage of the sample is:
Married: 45.6%
Has less education than a college degree?
32.0%
Worked for pay? 98.0%
Q3) For this assignment, you also need to generate a depression score for each participant. There are 20 items from the CES-D scale (variables CES_0001 to CES_0020).
I felt I was just as good as other people. |
|||||
Frequency |
Percent |
Valid Percent |
Cumulative Percent |
||
Valid |
Rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day ) |
12 |
8.0 |
8.1 |
8.1 |
Some or a little of the time (1-2 days) |
13 |
8.7 |
8.7 |
16.8 |
|
Occasionally or a moderate amount of time (3-4 days) |
40 |
26.7 |
26.8 |
43.6 |
|
Most or all of the time (5-7 days) |
84 |
56.0 |
56.4 |
100.0 |
|
Total |
149 |
99.3 |
100.0 |
||
Missing |
System |
1 |
.7 |
||
Total |
150 |
100.0 |
Reverse score of CES4 Categories |
|||||
Frequency |
Percent |
Valid Percent |
Cumulative Percent |
||
Valid |
Rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day ) |
84 |
56.0 |
56.4 |
56.4 |
Some or a little of the time (1-2 days) |
40 |
26.7 |
26.8 |
83.2 |
|
Occasionally or a moderate amount of time (3-4 days) |
13 |
8.7 |
8.7 |
91.9 |
|
Most or all of the time (5-7 days) |
12 |
8.0 |
8.1 |
100.0 |
|
Total |
149 |
99.3 |
100.0 |
||
Missing |
System |
1 |
.7 |
||
Total |
150 |
100.0 |
Yes, the above results do match what I would expect to find.
Q4) Transform->Compute Variable
There are times when we will want to compute a new variable based on the data we have. Create a new variable summing the 20 items from the CES-D scale.
The mean for Depression sum score is 13.57 while the mean for the Media use Score is 17.45
Descriptives |
|||
Statistic |
Std. Error |
||
Depression sum score |
Mean |
13.5683 |
.89572 |
95% Confidence Interval for Mean |
Lower Bound |
11.7972 |
|
Upper Bound |
15.3395 |
||
5% Trimmed Mean |
12.7966 |
||
Median |
11.0000 |
||
Variance |
111.522 |
||
Std. Deviation |
10.56042 |
||
Minimum |
.00 |
||
Maximum |
49.00 |
||
Range |
49.00 |
||
Interquartile Range |
13.00 |
||
Skewness |
1.080 |
.206 |
|
Kurtosis |
.706 |
.408 |
|
Media Use Score |
Mean |
16.3014 |
.58018 |
95% Confidence Interval for Mean |
Lower Bound |
15.1542 |
|
Upper Bound |
17.4486 |
||
5% Trimmed Mean |
16.0958 |
||
Median |
16.0000 |
||
Variance |
46.789 |
||
Std. Deviation |
6.84027 |
||
Minimum |
3.00 |
||
Maximum |
37.00 |
||
Range |
34.00 |
||
Interquartile Range |
9.00 |
||
Skewness |
.458 |
.206 |
|
Kurtosis |
-.066 |
.408 |
Q5) Some of the data is missing for individual CES-D items. The important thing in dealing with missing data is to figure out if the data is missing randomly or if there is some pattern (reason) to why the data points are missing. Does there appear to be a pattern to the missing data?
How might one deal with the missing data? (Do not do this, simply report what you think based on our discussion this week).
Answer
There is no pattern to the missing data but rather they appear to be missing at random. Missing data might be dealt with by removing the missing cases or doing imputation for the missing cases.
Q6) Examine the Descriptive Statistics output you generated for CESDTOT and Media Use for outliers. Remember that univariate outliers are those with very large standardized scores (z scores greater than 3.3) and that are disconnected from the distribution. SPSS DESCRIPTIVES will give you the z scores for every case if you select save standardized values as variables and SPSS FREQUENCIES will give you histograms (use SPLIT FILE/ Compare Groups under DATA for grouped data).
Did you find any univariate outliers? Briefly write up your conclusion about univariate outliers, using data to back up your report.
Answer
Extreme Values |
||||
Case Number |
Value |
|||
Depression sum score |
Highest |
1 |
105 |
49.00 |
2 |
87 |
45.00 |
||
3 |
64 |
41.00 |
||
4 |
134 |
40.00 |
||
5 |
31 |
37.00a |
||
Lowest |
1 |
140 |
.00 |
|
2 |
129 |
.00 |
||
3 |
111 |
.00 |
||
4 |
66 |
.00 |
||
5 |
19 |
.00 |
||
Media Use Score |
Highest |
1 |
87 |
37.00 |
2 |
105 |
35.00 |
||
3 |
64 |
34.00 |
||
4 |
115 |
29.00 |
||
5 |
137 |
29.00 |
||
Lowest |
1 |
102 |
3.00 |
|
2 |
70 |
3.00 |
||
3 |
100 |
5.00 |
||
4 |
35 |
5.00 |
||
5 |
111 |
6.00b |
||
a. Only a partial list of cases with the value 37.00 are shown in the table of upper extremes. |
||||
b. Only a partial list of cases with the value 6.00 are shown in the table of lower extremes. |
Yes there were cases of univariate outliers since we observed z score values greater than 3.
Q7) Finally, write up the results of your descriptive statistics analysis (Q1-6) in APA format as if you were describing the analysis for your dissertation (it will probably be only a paragraph). Make sure to include figures (e.g., a box plot). The APA formatting may be difficult, but it will be helpful in the long run to spend some time learning it properly now.
Answer
A descriptive analysis was performed to understand the distribution of the datasets. The mean age was found to be 28.23 (SD = 10.68) while the average household size (HHSize) was found to be 3.09 (SD = 1.57). This can be seen in the table presented below;
Descriptive Statistics |
|||||
N |
Min. |
Max. |
M |
SD |
|
Age |
149 |
2.00 |
56.00 |
28.23 |
10.68 |
Household size (HHSize) |
150 |
0 |
9 |
3.09 |
1.57 |
Valid N (listwise) |
149 |
In terms of the marital status, 45.6% (n = 68) of the participants were married and 98% (n = 147) worked for pay.
From the boxplots constructed, the plots revealed that outliers were present in the Media use score as well as the depression sum scores
Summary of Key Variables
There was however no pattern for the missing data but rather the data seemed to be missing at random. The missing data were random for the various variables and not associated with say a particular subject or particular item.
Part 2
Inferential Statistics
Paired T-test
The hypothesis of the test is given below
Results are presented below;
Paired Samples Statistics |
|||||
Mean |
N |
Std. Deviation |
Std. Error Mean |
||
Pair 1 |
Pre |
20.81 |
45 |
7.159 |
1.067 |
Post |
16.24 |
45 |
7.218 |
1.076 |
Paired Samples Correlations |
||||
N |
Correlation |
Sig. |
||
Pair 1 |
Pre & Post |
45 |
.729 |
.000 |
Paired Samples Test |
|||||||||
Paired Differences |
t |
df |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
||||||
Mean |
Std. Deviation |
Std. Error Mean |
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference |
||||||
Lower |
Upper |
||||||||
Pair 1 |
Pre – Post |
4.565 |
5.291 |
.789 |
2.975 |
6.154 |
5.788 |
44 |
.000 |
A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare pre-treatment scores to post-treatment scores. There was significant difference in the treatment scores for pre-treatment (M = 20.81, SD = 7.16) and post-treatment (M = 16.24, SD = 7.22) conditions; t(44) = 5.788, p = 0.000. These results suggest that there is a significant overall change between pre and post PTSD symptoms. The overall treatment effect was quite significant in the sense that people get better over time.
ANOVA
The first ANOVA we conducted was to compare the 4 groups on the first time point. We sought to investigate whether the groups have a different amount of PTSD before they start treatment. The hypothesis tested is as follows;
Results are given below
ANOVA |
|||||
Pre |
|||||
Sum of Squares |
df |
Mean Square |
F |
Sig. |
|
Between Groups |
18.566 |
3 |
6.189 |
.113 |
.952 |
Within Groups |
2236.252 |
41 |
54.543 |
||
Total |
2254.818 |
44 |
A one-way between subjects ANOVA was conducted to compare the PTSD before for four different independent groups. There was no significant effect of groups on PSTD scores at the 5% level of significance for the four conditions [F(3, 41) = 0.113, p = 0.952].
The above results clearly shows that the mean scores for the different groups are the same at the start. There is thee =fore no need to have a post-hoc test since there are no differences in the mean scores.
Repeated Measures ANOVA
Multivariate Testsa |
||||||
Effect |
Value |
F |
Hypothesis df |
Error df |
Sig. |
|
Time |
Pillai’s Trace |
.451 |
17.677b |
2.000 |
43.000 |
.000 |
Wilks’ Lambda |
.549 |
17.677b |
2.000 |
43.000 |
.000 |
|
Hotelling’s Trace |
.822 |
17.677b |
2.000 |
43.000 |
.000 |
|
Roy’s Largest Root |
.822 |
17.677b |
2.000 |
43.000 |
.000 |
|
a. Design: Intercept Within Subjects Design: Time |
||||||
b. Exact statistic |
Mauchly’s Test of Sphericitya |
|||||||
Measure: MEASURE_1 |
|||||||
Within Subjects Effect |
Mauchly’s W |
Approx. Chi-Square |
df |
Sig. |
Epsilonb |
||
Greenhouse-Geisser |
Huynh-Feldt |
Lower-bound |
|||||
Time |
.628 |
20.010 |
2 |
.000 |
.729 |
.747 |
.500 |
Tests the null hypothesis that the error covariance matrix of the orthonormalized transformed dependent variables is proportional to an identity matrix. |
|||||||
a. Design: Intercept Within Subjects Design: Time |
|||||||
b. May be used to adjust the degrees of freedom for the averaged tests of significance. Corrected tests are displayed in the Tests of Within-Subjects Effects table |
Tests of Within-Subjects Effects |
|||||||
Measure: MEASURE_1 |
|||||||
Source |
Type III Sum of Squares |
df |
Mean Square |
F |
Sig. |
||
Time |
Sphericity Assumed |
833.372 |
2 |
416.686 |
28.070 |
.000 |
|
Greenhouse-Geisser |
833.372 |
1.458 |
571.726 |
28.070 |
.000 |
||
Huynh-Feldt |
833.372 |
1.495 |
557.500 |
28.070 |
.000 |
||
Lower-bound |
833.372 |
1.000 |
833.372 |
28.070 |
.000 |
||
Error(Time) |
Sphericity Assumed |
1306.337 |
88 |
14.845 |
|||
Greenhouse-Geisser |
1306.337 |
64.136 |
20.368 |
||||
Huynh-Feldt |
1306.337 |
65.773 |
19.861 |
||||
Lower-bound |
1306.337 |
44.000 |
29.689 |
||||
Tests of Within-Subjects Contrasts |
|||||||
Measure: MEASURE_1 |
|||||||
Source |
Time |
Type III Sum of Squares |
df |
Mean Square |
F |
Sig. |
|
Time |
Linear |
748.638 |
1 |
748.638 |
32.442 |
.000 |
|
Quadratic |
84.734 |
1 |
84.734 |
12.813 |
.001 |
||
Error(Time) |
Linear |
1015.361 |
44 |
23.076 |
|||
Quadratic |
290.976 |
44 |
6.613 |
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects |
|||||
Measure: MEASURE_1 |
|||||
Transformed Variable: Average |
|||||
Source |
Type III Sum of Squares |
df |
Mean Square |
F |
Sig. |
Intercept |
40707.654 |
1 |
40707.654 |
322.283 |
.000 |
Error |
5557.659 |
44 |
126.310 |
Mauchly’s Test of Sphericity indicated that the assumption of sphericity had been violated, , p = .000, and therefore, a Greenhouse-Geisser correction was used. A repeated measures ANOVA with a Greenhouse-Geisser correction determined that mean PSTD scores differed statistically significantly between time points (F(1.458, 64.136) = 28.07, P = 0.000). Therefore, we can conclude that a long-term intervention elicits a statistically significant reduction in PSTD scores.
Repeated measures ANOVA
Multivariate Testsa |
||||||
Effect |
Value |
F |
Hypothesis df |
Error df |
Sig. |
|
Time |
Pillai’s Trace |
.525 |
22.088b |
2.000 |
40.000 |
.000 |
Wilks’ Lambda |
.475 |
22.088b |
2.000 |
40.000 |
.000 |
|
Hotelling’s Trace |
1.104 |
22.088b |
2.000 |
40.000 |
.000 |
|
Roy’s Largest Root |
1.104 |
22.088b |
2.000 |
40.000 |
.000 |
|
Time * Group |
Pillai’s Trace |
.375 |
3.151 |
6.000 |
82.000 |
.008 |
Wilks’ Lambda |
.647 |
3.247b |
6.000 |
80.000 |
.007 |
|
Hotelling’s Trace |
.513 |
3.335 |
6.000 |
78.000 |
.006 |
|
Roy’s Largest Root |
.437 |
5.976c |
3.000 |
41.000 |
.002 |
|
a. Design: Intercept + Group Within Subjects Design: Time |
||||||
b. Exact statistic |
||||||
c. The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance level. |
Mauchly’s Test of Sphericitya |
|||||||
Measure: MEASURE_1 |
|||||||
Within Subjects Effect |
Mauchly’s W |
Approx. Chi-Square |
df |
Sig. |
Epsilonb |
||
Greenhouse-Geisser |
Huynh-Feldt |
Lower-bound |
|||||
Time |
.714 |
13.488 |
2 |
.001 |
.777 |
.862 |
.500 |
Tests the null hypothesis that the error covariance matrix of the orthonormalized transformed dependent variables is proportional to an identity matrix. |
|||||||
a. Design: Intercept + Group Within Subjects Design: Time |
|||||||
b. May be used to adjust the degrees of freedom for the averaged tests of significance. Corrected tests are displayed in the Tests of Within-Subjects Effects table. |
Tests of Within-Subjects Effects |
||||||
Measure: MEASURE_1 |
||||||
Source |
Type III Sum of Squares |
df |
Mean Square |
F |
Sig. |
|
Time |
Sphericity Assumed |
778.949 |
2 |
389.474 |
32.412 |
.000 |
Greenhouse-Geisser |
778.949 |
1.555 |
500.953 |
32.412 |
.000 |
|
Huynh-Feldt |
778.949 |
1.723 |
452.034 |
32.412 |
.000 |
|
Lower-bound |
778.949 |
1.000 |
778.949 |
32.412 |
.000 |
|
Time * Group |
Sphericity Assumed |
321.009 |
6 |
53.501 |
4.452 |
.001 |
Greenhouse-Geisser |
321.009 |
4.665 |
68.815 |
4.452 |
.002 |
|
Huynh-Feldt |
321.009 |
5.170 |
62.095 |
4.452 |
.001 |
|
Lower-bound |
321.009 |
3.000 |
107.003 |
4.452 |
.008 |
|
Error(Time) |
Sphericity Assumed |
985.328 |
82 |
12.016 |
||
Greenhouse-Geisser |
985.328 |
63.752 |
15.456 |
|||
Huynh-Feldt |
985.328 |
70.651 |
13.946 |
|||
Lower-bound |
985.328 |
41.000 |
24.032 |
Tests of Within-Subjects Contrasts |
||||||
Measure: MEASURE_1 |
||||||
Source |
Time |
Type III Sum of Squares |
df |
Mean Square |
F |
Sig. |
Time |
Linear |
698.646 |
1 |
698.646 |
38.467 |
.000 |
Quadratic |
80.303 |
1 |
80.303 |
13.680 |
.001 |
|
Time * Group |
Linear |
270.703 |
3 |
90.234 |
4.968 |
.005 |
Quadratic |
50.306 |
3 |
16.769 |
2.857 |
.049 |
|
Error(Time) |
Linear |
744.658 |
41 |
18.162 |
||
Quadratic |
240.670 |
41 |
5.870 |
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects |
|||||
Measure: MEASURE_1 |
|||||
Transformed Variable: Average |
|||||
Source |
Type III Sum of Squares |
df |
Mean Square |
F |
Sig. |
Intercept |
40618.546 |
1 |
40618.546 |
331.760 |
.000 |
Group |
537.877 |
3 |
179.292 |
1.464 |
.238 |
Error |
5019.782 |
41 |
122.434 |
Part 3
- Open the data file (called RSM801Week3.sav). Explore the data file. Note, you will not analyze all of these variables. Try to find the variables that are relevant to the study description above. Write the names of the two variables here:
Answer
The variables are voter intention index and Ebola search volume index
- Run a correlation analysis to test if there is an association between the Ebola search volume index and the voter intention index. A correlation coefficient indicates the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables. (select Analyze – correlate – bivariate). Be sure to check off Options – Means and standard deviations. In SPSS, be sure to check the box of the correct correlation type (Pearson, Spearman or Kendall’s tau-b) for this data. Indicate the correlation type and why this is the right choice for these variables:
Answer
Correlation Type: Pearson Correlation
Why: Because the data is an interval scale
Correlations |
|||
Voter Intention Index |
Ebola Search Volume Index |
||
Voter Intention Index |
Pearson Correlation |
1 |
.505* |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.012 |
||
N |
24 |
24 |
|
Ebola Search Volume Index |
Pearson Correlation |
.505* |
1 |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.012 |
||
N |
24 |
65 |
|
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). |
- Write an APA formatted sentence describing the mean and standard deviation for these two variables.
Answer
The average voter intention index was 1.12 (SD = 0.89) while the average Ebola search volume index was 24.17 (SD = 22.85).
Descriptive Statistics |
|||||
N |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Mean |
Std. Deviation |
|
Voter Intention Index |
24 |
-.40 |
2.40 |
1.1167 |
.88596 |
Ebola Search Volume Index |
65 |
2.86 |
70.86 |
24.1712 |
22.84665 |
Valid N (listwise) |
24 |
- Report the results of the correlation in an APA statement (e.g., r (N-2) = .xx, p = .yyy. Be sure to include degrees of freedom and statistical significance.
Answer
The two variables had a moderate positive relation, r(24) = .49, p = 0.012.
- Write a sentence interpreting what these findings mean. That is, following periods characterized by especially heavy periods of Ebola related Internet search activity, was this search activity related or unrelated to voting intentions? If related, were U.S. voters more likely to vote for a Republican or Democrat candidate? Does the relationship appear to be direct (i.e., positive) or inverse (i.e, negative)?
Answer
Results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between voter intention index and Ebola search volume index. This means that an increase in the Ebola search volume index would result to an increase in voter intention index. On the other hand a decrease in Ebola search volume index would result to a subsequent decrease in voter intention index
- [This question is optional extra credit] Next, to test whether the association between these variables is stronger during the period just prior to and after the Ebola outbreak, select only the scores from the two-week period including the last week of September and the first week of October (use Data – Select Cases – If Condition is Satisfied, specifying the condition (1) that would meet this criteria). Re-run the correlation analyses for the association between Ebola search volume index and voter intention index. Also, compute the correlation analysis between Daily Ebola search volume and voter intention index. Which correlation value was stronger? Write an APA statement summarizing these results.
Answer
Correlations |
||||
Voter Intention Index |
Ebola Search Volume Index |
Daily Ebola Search Volume |
||
Voter Intention Index |
Pearson Correlation |
1 |
.988** |
.607 |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.000 |
.111 |
||
N |
8 |
8 |
8 |
|
Ebola Search Volume Index |
Pearson Correlation |
.988** |
1 |
.693** |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.000 |
.006 |
||
N |
8 |
14 |
14 |
|
Daily Ebola Search Volume |
Pearson Correlation |
.607 |
.693** |
1 |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.111 |
.006 |
||
N |
8 |
14 |
14 |
|
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). |
A Pearson correlation test was performed to check the relationship between Ebola search volume index and Daily Ebola search volume with the Voter intention index during the period just prior to and after the Ebola outbreak. Results showed that a very strong positive relationship between Voter intention index and Ebola search volume index, r(8) = 0.988, p = 0.000. A strong positive but insignificant relationship was observed between Voter intention index and Daily Ebola search volume, r(8) = 0.607, p = 0.111.
Correlation value was stronger between voter intention index and Ebola search volume index.
- Make sure that all the data is selected (i.e., that the Select cases is set to “All Cases”). Run a correlational analysis between ALL of the scale variables.
Which one is the strongest pair?
Which pair has the weakest relationship?
Correlations |
||||
Voter Intention Index |
Ebola Search Volume Index |
Daily Ebola Search Volume |
||
Voter Intention Index |
Pearson Correlation |
1 |
.505* |
.169 |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.012 |
.430 |
||
N |
24 |
24 |
24 |
|
Ebola Search Volume Index |
Pearson Correlation |
.505* |
1 |
.831** |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.012 |
.000 |
||
N |
24 |
65 |
65 |
|
Daily Ebola Search Volume |
Pearson Correlation |
.169 |
.831** |
1 |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.430 |
.000 |
||
N |
24 |
65 |
65 |
|
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). |
||||
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). |
The stronger pair is between Voter intention index and Ebola Search volume index
The pair with weak relationship is between Voter intention index and Daily Ebola Search volume.
- Prepare a series of scatterplots (making sure to follow APA-style guidelines). Select Graphs – Chart Builder and then choose “Scatter/Dot” as the chart type. First, depict the relationship between day and the voter intention index for the month of September (demonstrating the relationship for voter intention index for the month prior to the Ebola outbreak was announced). Please note that you will need to change the select function as you did in Question 6 (but this time using the variable month, selecting September as the month). Include the figure (formatting with an APA style title) and write a sentence describing the relationship.
Answer
A negative relationship was observed between voter intention index for the month prior to the Ebola outbreak was announced and the daily Ebola search volume.
- Second, depict the relationship between day and the voter intention index for the last week of September (i.e., the week prior to the outbreak was announced, Sept 24-30). Include the figure (formatting with an APA style title) and write a sentence describing the relationship.
Answer
A positive relationship was observed between voter intention index for the last week of September and the daily Ebola search volume.
- Third, depict the relationship between day and the voter intention index for the month of October (i.e., the month after the outbreak was announced). Include the figure (formatting with an APA style title) and write a sentence describing the relationship.
Answer
A negative relationship was observed between voter intention index for index for the month of October and the daily Ebola search volume.
- Finally, depict the relationship between day and the voter intention index for the first week of October (i.e., 10/1-10/7, the week after the Ebola outbreak was announced). Include the figure (formatting with an APA style title) and write a sentence describing the relationship.
Answer
A positive relationship was observed between voter intention index for the first week of October and the daily Ebola search volume.
- Does viewing these graphs influence your interpretation of the correlation analyses above? How so?
Answer
Yes viewing these graphs influence my interpretation of the correlation analyses above. This is because daily Ebola search volume influences voter intention index differently depending on the period when the Ebola was announced.
- Conduct a t-test on voter intention index to assess whether voter intentions differed whether they were expressed before (group = 1) or after (group = 2) the initial Ebola outbreak was announced (Variable: newmonth). Based on this data, put a check in front of the type of t-test you should carry out (and carry it out, using the Pace book and/or notes from RSM701).
Answer
Independent sample t-test
Group Statistics |
|||||
Two.weeks.prior.to.outbreak.only |
N |
Mean |
Std. Deviation |
Std. Error Mean |
|
Voter Intention Index |
Not in the 2 week window |
16 |
1.5750 |
.62450 |
.15612 |
Within 2 week window |
8 |
.2000 |
.55032 |
.19457 |
Independent Samples Test |
||||||||||
Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances |
t-test for Equality of Means |
|||||||||
F |
Sig. |
t |
df |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
Mean Difference |
Std. Error Difference |
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference |
|||
Lower |
Upper |
|||||||||
Voter Intention Index |
Equal variances assumed |
.167 |
.687 |
5.276 |
22 |
.000 |
1.37500 |
.26063 |
.83449 |
1.91551 |
Equal variances not assumed |
5.512 |
15.850 |
.000 |
1.37500 |
.24946 |
.84575 |
1.90425 |
- Examining your output, write a sentence reporting the mean support for Republican (relative to democratic) candidates for the Month prior to the outbreak as well as proceeding the outbreak. Please be sure to use terms such as more, less, or about the same to indicate whether support was greater prior to or after the outbreak was announced.
Answer
The mean support for Republican (relative to democratic) candidates for the Month prior to the outbreak as well as proceeding the outbreak was more than during the outbreak period. His shows that support was greater prior to or after the outbreak was announced
- Assess whether this change was statistically significant. Write an APA statement with the t-test findings (e.g., t (df) = xx.xx, p = .yyy). Don’t forget to use the Levene’s test to determine whether you should be reporting the row of findings that consider “equal variances assumed” (when Levene’s test p > .05) or equal variances not assumed (when Levene’s test p < .05). Interpret this finding.
Answer
An independent samples t-test was performed to compare the average voter intention index. The Levene’s test showed that we assume equal variances (p-value < 0.05). Results showed that the average voter intention index Not in the 2 week window (M = 1.58, SD = 0.62, N = 12) was significant different with the average voter intention index within 2 week window (M = 0.20, SD = 0.55, N = 8), t (22) = 5.276, p < .05, two-tailed. The difference of 1.375 showed a significant difference. Essentially results showed that Ebola outbreak did significantly reduce the voter intention index
- What does the t-test tell you? What does the correlation tell you? How are each useful to understanding this data?
Answer
T-test tells us the difference in the average voter intention index for the two time points while correlation tells us the relationship that exists between the voter intention index and daily Ebola search volume. The two tests are important since they are able to tell us the relationship that the different factors have on the voter intention index.