Overview
This lecture explains how to create bar and pie charts in IBM SPSS 6, including customizing chart elements and saving outputs.
Creating a Bar Chart in SPSS
- Go to the Graphs menu and select Chart Builder to create charts in SPSS.
- Choose the Bar Chart option from the list of available chart types.
- Drag the bar chart type into the preview area and assign variables to the x-axis (categories) and y-axis (values).
- Right-click variable names to check and set the correct measurement level.
- Ensure the chart displays values (not mean, sum, or median) by selecting the appropriate statistic.
- Click OK to generate the chart, which will appear in the output window.
- Double-click the chart to open the Chart Editor for further customization.
Customizing Bar Charts
- In the Chart Editor, enable the display of data labels to show values on bars.
- Adjust the position and format of the labels as needed (e.g., top, bottom, font style).
- Change bar colors by double-clicking a bar and selecting new colors for individual bars or all bars.
Creating a Pie Chart in SPSS
- Select the Pie Chart from the Chart Builder and drag it into the preview area.
- Assign the frequency or count variable to display slice sizes correctly.
- Ensure the chart is set to display actual values.
- Click OK to create the pie chart, then double-click to open the Chart Editor.
Customizing Pie Charts
- Enable and customize data labels, including showing percentages and adjusting decimal places.
- Change font style, text layout, and caption as desired.
- Select individual pie slices to change their colors.
Saving Your Work
- Save both the output window and the data file to retain your charts and data for future use.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Bar Chart — A graph showing categorical data with rectangular bars representing frequencies.
- Pie Chart — A circular chart divided into slices to illustrate proportions of a whole.
- Chart Builder — The SPSS tool for creating various types of charts and graphs.
- Chart Editor — The SPSS interface for customizing and editing generated charts.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Prepare a simple dataset with categorical variables and frequencies.
- Practice creating and customizing bar and pie charts in SPSS.
- Save your output and data files for future reference.