SPSS For Dummies
Chapter One
Introducing SPSS
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics." That statement
is often attributed to Mark Twain, but that's not quite right. Mark
Twain did say it, but he attributed it to someone else. He indirectly attributed
it to Disraeli, but his attribution was vague, and the original statement, if it
exists, can't be located. Speaking statistically, the odds are in favor of us never
knowing who said it first.
Garbage In, Garbage Out
Statistical analysis is like a sewer. What you get out of it largely depends on
what you put into it.
Over 82 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot to try to prove a point.
You can conclude just about anything if you're not careful with your data
and with your calculations. SPSS watches the performance of the calculations
for you, but the raw data, and which calculations should be performed, is up
to you.
Let me show you a simple example of using raw data to produce an obviously
wrong conclusion. Suppose you want to demonstrate, by sam ... read full excerpt from SPSS For Dummies ebook
