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Nick Noviello Ph.D.

7/22/14

SPSS GUIDE: ONE SAMPLE t-test


1. DATA
X
21
22
23
24
25

f
1
2
3
2
1

2. STATISTICS
One-Sample Test
Test Value = 21
t
X

4.899

df

Sig.
(2-tailed)

.001

Mean
Difference
2.00

99% Confidence Interval


of the Difference
Lower
.63

3. GRAPH

30
3.5

CONSUMER RATING

3.0
2.5
20
2.0
1.5
1.0
10
Std. Dev = 1.22

.5

Mean = 23.0
N = 9.00

0.0
21.0

22.0
Red

Cases weighted by F

23.0

24.0
Blue

PACKAGE COLOR

25.0
Green

Upper
3.37

HOW TO PERFORM A ONE SAMPLE t-TEST USING SPSS


HOW TO PRODUCE THE RESULTS ABOVE:
The page above was created by

1. ENTERING THE DATA


DEFINING THE INTERVAL SCALE VARIABLE X, AND ITS FREQUENCY f
In Variable View, define two variables x and f
Enter the data shown above.
Choose the menu item Data, then Weight Cases.
Choose f as the weighting variable.

2. COMPUTING THE STATISTICS


Click on the Analyze menu item and choose the Compare Means menu item, then
choose the One-Sample T-Test menu item
A box labeled One-Sample T-Test will appear
In the One-Sample T-Test box
Click on the independent variable x and move it to the Test Variable(s) box, by
clicking on the box to the left of the Test Variable(s) box
Type in 21 in the Test Value box.
Click on the OK box
The One Sample Test box will appear in the output.

3. GRAPHING THE DATA


Click on the Graphs menu and choose the Histogram option
A box labeled Histogram will appear
A graph similar to the one on the first page should appear.

4. INTERPRETING THE RESULTS


One-Sample Statistics
N
9

Mean
23.00

Std. Deviation
1.22

Std. Error Mean


.41

One-Sample Test
Test Value = 21
t
X

4.899

df
8

Sig.
(2-tailed)

Mean
Difference

.001

2.00

99% Confidence Interval


of the Difference
Lower
.63

Upper
3.37

The complete statistical output is shown above.


The sample mean, X , was 23. is 1.22.
mean is .41.

X , the estimated standard error of the

The obtained standardized sample mean or "obtained t" is 4.899


p for a two-tailed test (referred to by SPSS as "sig. 2-tailed") is approximately .001! So
we see that if the alternate hypothesis was
H1: 21
we could reject H0 at the .01 significance level.
p for a one-tailed test is approximately .0005! (It's always exactly of the two-tailed P
value) So we see that if the alternate hypothesis was
H1: > 21
we could reject H0 at the .01 significance level.

4. PRACTICE
1. Make up a set of data using a frequency distribution, such that the sample mean is
100, but the data would not let you reject this hypothesis: H1: > 98. Use SPSS to
show that you are correct.
2. Make up a set of data using a frequency distribution, such that the sample mean is
100, but the data would let you reject this hypothesis: H1: > 98. Use SPSS to
show that you are correct.

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