1. Founder of SPSS: SPSS was founded by Norman H. Nie, C.
Hadlai "Tex" Hull, and
Dale H. Bent in 1968
2. Who took over SPSS and in which year?
IBM acquired SPSS in 2009 and integrated it as part of their analytics and software
offerings
3. Current version of SPSS:
The latest version is SPSS Statistics 29, released in September 2024. It includes
enhanced features like Lasso and Ridge regression, Violin Plots, and updates to
Python and R integrations
4. Competitors of SPSS:
SPSS faces competition from statistical and data analysis tools such as SAS, R,
Python, Microsoft Excel (for basic analytics), Stata, and Tableau. Open-source tools
like R and Python are particularly strong competitors due to their flexibility and no-
cost licensing
5. Full Form of SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences.
6. Extension of SPSS File: SPSS files typically have extensions like .sav (data files)
and .spv (output files).
7. Why Do We Use SPSS: SPSS is used for statistical analysis, data management, and
visualization in research and academia.
8. Meaning of Research: Research is a systematic investigation to establish facts, solve
problems, or develop new theories.
9. Review of Literature: It is a critical evaluation of existing research to identify gaps,
trends, and the current state of knowledge in a specific field.
10. Correlation: Correlation measures the strength and direction of the relationship
between two variables.
11. Regression: Regression is a statistical method to model and analyze the relationship
between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables.
12. Pie Chart: A pie chart is a circular graph divided into slices to illustrate proportions
of a whole.
13. Histogram: A histogram is a bar graph representing the frequency distribution of
numerical data over intervals.
14. Bar Graph: A bar graph uses bars to represent categorical data and compare
different groups or variables.
15. Independent Variable: The independent variable is the factor that you change or
control in an experiment to see its effect.
Dependent Variable: The dependent variable is that changes as a result of the
independent variable.
Example of Dependent and Independent Variable:
Independent Variable: Amount of fertilizer used.
Dependent Variable: Growth of a plant (measured by height or yield).
Example of Hypothesis:
16. Null Hypothesis (H₀): There is no significant relationship between exercise frequency
and weight loss.
17. Alternative Hypothesis (H₁): Increased exercise frequency leads to significant
weight loss.
18. Types of Hypotheses:
Null Hypothesis (H₀): States no effect or no relationship exists.
Alternative Hypothesis (H₁): States there is an effect or relationship.
Directional Hypothesis: Specifies the direction of the relationship (e.g., "A increases
B").
Non-Directional Hypothesis: Does not specify the direction, only that a relationship
exists.
19. Hypotheses Denoted By:
Null Hypothesis: H0
Alternative Hypothesis: H1 or Ha
20. Regression Beta Value:
The beta value (β\betaβ) in regression represents the strength and direction of the
relationship between an independent variable and the dependent variable. For
example, β=0.5\beta = 0.5β=0.5 indicates a positive relationship where a unit increase
in the independent variable increases the dependent variable by 0.5 units
21. The p-value is a measure used to determine statistical significance. A smaller p-value
(e.g., p<0.05) typically indicates strong evidence to reject null hypothesis, suggesting
statistical significance. P value >0.05 means accept Ho
22. Mean: The average of a dataset, calculated by dividing the sum of all values by the
number of values. Eg-Calculating the average monthly salary of employees in a
company
23. Median: The middle value of a dataset when arranged in ascending or descending
order.
24. Mode: The value(s) that appear most frequently in a dataset.
Example: Finding the most common shoe size sold in a store. If sizes sold are
6,7,7,8,96, 7, 7, 8, 96,7,7,8,9, the mode is size 777, as it appears most frequently.
25. Box Plot Meaning:
A box plot (or box-and-whisker plot) is a graphical representation of a dataset that
displays its central tendency and variability. It shows the minimum, first quartile (Q1),
median (Q2), third quartile (Q3), and maximum values, as well as any outliers.
26. Outlier Meaning:
An outlier is a data point significantly distant from other observations in the dataset. It
typically lies outside.
Example- If the ages of students are 18,19,20,21,22,5018, 19, 20, 21, 22,
5018,19,20,21,22,50, the box plot will highlight 505050 as an outlier since it is much
higher than the other values.
27. Plagiarism: Copying text from a published article without citing the source.
28. Questionnaire:
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of structured or open-
ended questions used to collect data or opinions from respondents systematically.
29. Citation:
A citation is a reference to a source used in research or writing, typically including
details like the author's name, publication date, title, and where it can be found.
Citations are used to give credit to the original source and avoid plagiarism.
30. References:
References are a detailed list of all the sources cited within a document, usually
appearing at the end. They provide full details to help readers locate the original work.
31. Types of Citations:
APA (American Psychological Association)- Commonly used in social sciences
MLA (Modern Language Association): Typically used in humanities
Chicago/Turabian: Often used in history
32. Cross-tabulation (or Cross-tab) is a statistical technique used to examine the
relationship between two or more categorical variables by presenting the data in a
matrix format. It helps identify patterns, correlations, and trends in data, often used in
surveys and market research.
33. By studying SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) in the Business
Research Methodology (BRM) subject, I learned how to apply statistical analysis to
real-world data, particularly for business and social science research. SPSS provides
tools for performing descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and
other techniques, which are crucial for understanding trends and relationships within
data. It also helps in data visualization (e.g., histograms, box plots) and enables
researchers to make informed decisions based on statistical evidence. Using SPSS
allows for efficient and accurate data analysis, making it a valuable skill for business
and academic research.
34. Type I and type II error
35. GoogleForm:
A Google Form is an online tool used to create surveys, quizzes, and questionnaires,
allowing easy collection and analysis of responses. It provides customizable fields for
various types of questions, such as multiple choice, text, and ratings.
36. Variable View in SPSS:
In SPSS, Variable View is where you define the properties of each variable in your
dataset, such as its name, type (numeric, string), label, values, and missing data codes.
37. Data View in SPSS:
Data View is the spreadsheet-like interface in SPSS where you can enter, view, edit
the actual data for analysis, with each row representing a case and each column a
variable.
38. SPSS excels in managing large datasets and automates statistical tests, whereas Excel
is better suited for smaller datasets and lacks advanced analysis features .
39. One-tailed vs. Two-tailed Tests:
A one-tailed test tests for the possibility of a relationship in one direction (either
positive or negative), while a two-tailed test checks for the possibility in both
directions (both higher and lower).
40. Z-test vs. T-test:
A z-test is used the sample size is more than 30, whereas a t-test is used when sample
size is small, less than 30.
41. Example of Research Problems:
Consumer Behavior and Social Media:
What is the impact of social media influencers on the purchasing decisions of
millennials in India?
Mental Health in the Workplace:
How does workplace stress influence employee productivity and well-being in high-
pressure industries?
42. Sources for Review of Literature:
Academic Journals: Use databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, and PubMed to find peer-
reviewed articles related to your research topic. Books , Government and Institutional
Reports.
43. Normal Distribution:
Normal distribution is a statistical concept where data is symmetrically distributed around
the mean, forming a bell-shaped curve. The majority of values lie close to the mean, with
fewer values as you move further from it.
An example could be the heights of adult, where most fall around the average height, with
fewer being extremely tall or short.
44. Primary source vs Secondary source
45. Techniques of sampling
46. Sample: A sample is a smaller group selected from a larger population, used to
represent the entire population in a study. For example, a survey might collect
responses from a sample of 100 people to make inferences about a population of
10,000.
47. Sampling: Sampling is the process of selecting a subset of individuals or items from
a larger population to analyze and make conclusions about the whole population.
48. Population: A population refers to the entire group of individuals or items that
researchers want to study or draw conclusions about. For instance, in a study of
student performance in a school, the population would be all the students in that
school.
49. Ethics in Research refers to the principles of honesty, integrity, and respect for
participants' rights, ensuring that research is conducted responsibly, with informed
consent, confidentiality, and no harm to participants.
50. Types of research
