IBM SPSS (R) Companion to Political Analysis

In Philip H. Pollock's An IBM SPSS® Companion to Political Analysis, 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 fresh guided examples, new annotated screenshots, step-by-step instructions, and exercises that reflect current scholarly debates in American political behavior and comparative politics. Compatible with all releases of SPSS (12.0 and later), the all-new Fifth Edition includes 53 new or revised exercises. Two new datasets (NES 2012 and GSS 2012) and two revised datasets (on the 50 states and on 167 countries of the world) feature an expanded number of variables to provide greater latitude for performing original analysis.

With 53 new or revised exercises and two brand new datasets, this book continues to provide students with thorough and clear explanations on how to use SPSS to analyse data in political science.

Getting Started Downloading the Datasets SPSS Full Version and SPSS Student Version: What Is the Difference? NotesChapter 1 Introduction to SPSS The Data Editor A Must-Do: Setting Options for Variable Lists The Viewer ExercisesChapter 2 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 NotesChapter 3 Transforming Variables Using Recode Using Visual Binning Using Compute Exercises NotesChapter 4 Making Comparisons Cross-tabulation Analysis Mean Comparison Analysis Graphing Relationships Exercises NotesChapter 5 Making Controlled Comparisons Cross-tabulation Analysis with a Control Variable Graphing Relationships with a Control Variable Mean Comparison Analysis with a Control Variable Exercises NotesChapter 6 Making Inferences about Sample Means Descriptives and One-Sample T Test Independent-Samples T Test Exercises NotesChapter 7 Chi-square and Measures of Association Analyzing an Ordinal-level Relationship Analyzing an Ordinal-level Relationship with a Control Variable Analyzing a Nominal-level Relationship with a Control Variable Exercises NotesChapter 8 Correlation and Linear Regression Correlation and Bivariate Regression Scatterplots Multiple Regression Exercises NotesChapter 9 Dummy Variables and Interaction Effects Regression with Dummy Variables Interaction Effects in Multiple Regression Using Compute for Interaction Variables Exercises NotesChapter 10 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 Exercises NotesChapter 11 Doing Your Own Political Analysis Five Doable Ideas Inputting Data Writing It Up Notes