PSYC 355
SPSS: P T AAIRED-SAMPLES T EST SSIGNMENT NSTRUCTIONS I
OVERVIEW
This assignment is designed to increase your statistical literacy and proficiency in conducting
and interpreting the paired-samples test. You will be completing ttwo paired-samples testst in
SPSS, using data that are related to specific research scenarios in the behavioral sciences, such as
psychology, social work, and counseling. You will also be completing one Cumulative
Knowledge Question that will use an analysis learned in a previous week. Behind the scenes
knowledge of how this test is conducted is fundamental to being able to understand and apply
research in your related field to your practice. Additionally, SPSS skills are professionally
valuable, as it is one of the most commonly used statistical software packages in behavioral
science settings, both academic and professional.
INSTRUCTIONS
This assignment includes three problem sets that contain research scenarios and related
questions.
For each scenario, you will run an analysis in SPSS. The required product will include
the SPSS output, an APA-style Results section describing the results, and the appropriate
graph inserted as a Figure in APA style.
For all problems, interpret results based on an alpha level of a = ..05
This assignment is worth 90 points.
Please review the SPSS Homework Tutorial in this module for directions on how to run the
statistical test, as well as the Results Sections in APA Style presentation, which includes a
template for completing the APA-style Results sections for the paired-samples t test. The
scenarios begin on the next page.
PSYC 355
1. Paste SPSS output. (10 pts)
2. Write an APA-style Results section based on your analysis. Include your boxplot as an
APA-style Figure, with figure number and title, as demonstrated in the Results Section
presentation. (Results = 12 pts; Figure = 8 pts)
Problem Set 1: The paired-samples testt
Research Scenario: A sports psychologist is studying the efficacy of a new public school
health program on the number of minutes 10 graders exercise per week. She surveys a
th
sample of 10 graders before the program begins and records the number of minutes they
th
report exercising per week. After two months in the program, the students are surveyed again.
The data are listed in the table below.
Using this table, enter the data into a new SPSS data file and run a paired-samples t test
to test the claim that the new public health program significantly the number increases
of minutes exercised for 10 graders. Create a boxplot to show the difference between
th
the groups. Follow the directions below the table to complete this part.
Minutes Ex./Wk.
Before Program
Minutes Ex./Wk.
After Program
45
45
50
55
40
38
50
55
35
50
50
45
59
70
60
53
62
81
45
60
PSYC 355
ut. (10 pts)
yle Results section based on
nclude your boxplot as an APA-
h figure number and title, as
ed in the Results Section
n. (Results = 12 pts; Figure = 8
Problem Set 2: The paired-samples testt
Research Scenario: A licensed marriage and family therapist
(LMFT) is looking into communication issues in a sample of 9
married couples in his clinic. Specifically, he wants to know if
there is a difference in how satisfied husbands and wives are
with the communication in their marriage. Because he took
research methods and statistics during college, he knows that
he needs to use a matched-subjects design to compare related
participants like spouses, which requires a paired-samples t
test. Each husband and wife completes an inventory where
scores range from 0 to 20, and higher scores indicate higher
satisfaction with the communication in the marriage. The
LMFT records their responses, shown in the table below.
Using this table, enter the data into a new SPSS data file
and run a paired-samples t test to test the claim that there
is a difference between husbands and wives on their
satisfaction with the communication within their marriage.
Create a boxplot to show the difference between the
groups. Follow the directions below the table to complete
this part.
Husbands Wives
12
9
14
5
8
11
4
4
7
8
10
16
7
6
9
7
3
6
PSYC 355
1. Paste SPSS output. (10 pts)
Problem Set 3: Cumulative Knowledge Question
Research Scenario: A social psychologist working for a marketing department wants to study
the effect of scenario descriptions on charitable giving to a child hunger organization. He
devises two scenarios: one in which an employee of the charity describes child hunger using
facts and information (Group 1), and one in which an employee of the charity describes child
hunger using an anecdotal example with one “identifiable victim” (Small, 2016) (Group 2).
Eight people are interviewed in each group. After hearing the employee read the child hunger
scenario, the participants are then asked to state how much money they would donate to the
charity to help end child hunger. The data appear in the table below.
Using this table, enter the data into a new SPSS data file. Choose the correct analysis (it
will be one learned in a previous module) to determine whether there is a in difference
the amount of money between the two groups. Follow the directions below the table to
complete this part.
PSYC 355
2. Write an APA-style Results section based on your analysis. Include your boxplot as an
APA-style Figure, with figure number and title, as demonstrated in the Results Section
presentation. (Results = 12 pts; Figure = 8 pts)
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday at the end of Module/Week 2.
