2022 Introduction to Statistics in Research Mitchell 2nd ed

I N T R O T O R E S E A R C H : D A T A V I S U A L I Z A T I O N & C O M M O N S T A T T E S T S

SPSS Version 27 – To create a stem and leaf plot (one group) 1) List your values in the first column and rename the variable (I called mine hours) 2) Analyze >Descriptive Statistics > Explore 3) While hours is highlighted, choose arrow to move to dependent list 4) Click OK 5) Scroll down to see Stem-and-leaf plot

Table 91: SPSS to create a stem and leaf plot

Table 92: SPSS (version 27) output for stem-and-leaf plot

SPSS will give you more than the stem-and-leaf plot. You can expect a list of descriptive statistics. You can also select Plots in the Explore window and choose a histogram. Using multiple ways to see your data leads to a deeper understanding.

Comparative Stem-and-leaf display

In a comparative stem-and-leaf display you have univariate, numerical data with observations from two or more groups. It is much easier to understand once you see an example.

Summer Reading Example Suppose the library summer reading coordinator collects the following data for a summer reading challenge at the library. The library kept track of number of books read (names hidden) read by males or females. As you can see in the illustration below, a comparative stem-and-leaf plot share a middle column. Take a minute to understand how this works.

List of Books Read by Females

List of Books Read by Males Comparative Stem-and-leaf by hand

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