An IBM SPSS® Companion to Political Analysis / Edition 5

by Philip H. Pollock

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506305790
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	12/01/2015
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Philip H. Pollock III is a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. He has taught courses in research methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels for more than thirty years. His main research interests are American public opinion, voting behavior, techniques of quantitative analysis, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. His recent research has been on the effectiveness of Internet-based instruction. Pollock’s research has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Social Science Quarterly, and the British Journal of Political Science. Recent scholarly publications include articles in Political Research Quarterly, the Journal of Political Science Education, and PS: Political Science and Politics.

Table of Contents

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

Editorial Reviews

An IBM SPSS® Companion to Political Analysis complements The Essentials of Political Analysis and provides clear instruction for SPSS. The text is very accessible to students and uses interesting, varied, and lively examples. The four data sets – 2012 GSS, 2012 ANES, a 50 state dataset, and a 167 country dataset – engage students with a range of interests.”

Gary Copeland

Pollock's workbook is a wonderful companion to any research methods course. It pairs nicely with other textbooks and reading material, and provides students with interesting datasets and detailed explanations on how to analyze data within SPSS. An invaluable guide for faculty and students alike it made my job teaching the class easier, but more importantly, it made my course better.”

Wesley Hussey

This book is an indispensable asset to any professor who teaches students about the foundations of quantitative analysis. Pollock sets the standard for providing in depth, accessible instruction on how to use SPSS to analyze data in political science.”

Brian Frederick

“Pollock's workbook is a wonderful companion to any research methods course. It pairs nicely with other textbooks and reading material, and provides students with interesting datasets and detailed explanations on how to analyze data within SPSS. An invaluable guide for faculty and students alike it made my job teaching the class easier, but more importantly, it made my course better.” - Wesley Hussey, California State University, Sacramento

“This book is an indispensable asset to any professor who teaches students about the foundations of quantitative analysis. Pollock sets the standard for providing in depth, accessible instruction on how to use SPSS to analyze data in political science.” - Brian Frederick, Bridgewater State University

“An IBM SPSS Companion to Political Analysis complements The Essentials of Political Analysis and provides clear instruction for SPSS. The text is very accessible to students and uses interesting, varied, and lively examples. The four data sets – 2012 GSS, 2012 ANES, a 50 state dataset, and a 167 country dataset – engage students with a range of interests.” - Gary Copeland, University of Oklahoma

In addition to Beginning Statistics, this book is valuable when preparing to write a bachelor thesis. - Ms Emilia Mantadakis, Department of Political Science, Maastricht University