SPSS Info

RECOMMENDED DEFAULT SETTINGS FOR SPSS.

SPSS lets you control how you work with it and how the output looks.

For the most part, the default settings are appropriate or just a matter of your own taste.  (Feel free to experiment after you become more familiar.)  However, the settings  suggested here are far better suited to learning and day-to-day data analysis.

If you are running SPSS on your own personal machine, you need to make the changes below only once.  You can always change them to something else.   If you make changes in the default settings on a University machine, they will stay in effect until that machine is rebooted (or they are changed by another user.)  If you make a mistake, just redo it.

CHANGE THE SETTINGS BY clicking EDIT, then choose OPTIONS.

In these instructions, the arrow [- -> ] tells you there is a choice you should make.

Text which is NOT bolded (inside parentheses) is there to orient you when looking at the screen.

-->EDIT  

-->OPTIONS   (you will make changes on two tabs.  First on the GENERAL tab, second on the OUTPUT LABELS tab.)

-->GENERAL

(upper right hand corner-variable lists)

-->DISPLAY NAMES  (one option above lower left)

-->CHECK  BOX (“Open syntax window at startup”) (NOTE: not available in Student Version.)

--> OUTPUT LABELS

(there are four labeling options-the first at the top, the fourth at the bottom.   Note that 1 & 2 (and 3 & 4) are NOT the same:)

                        1          ->Names and Labels

                        2          ->Values and Labels

                        3          ->Names and Labels

                        4          ->Values and Labels

 After you’ve made the selections, click OK.

On Version 10: After clicking OK, it is normal for SPSS to give you a “warning” message saying that the changes you’ve made (DISPLAY NAMES) will take effect the next time a data file is opened.  Just click OK.  Then, open a data file, or, if you wish, exit.

On Version 11: all changes take place immediately.

SPSS Info