Background | Enter Data | Analyze Data | Interpret Data | Report Data

I. Enter your data into two columns in the data file

1. Use the first column of the data file to enter DV data collected in your first condition.
2. Give the first column a meaningful name. This name should help you to know that you are looking at data from the first condition.
3. Use the second column of the data file to enter data collected from the second condition of your experiment. 
4. Give the second column a meaningful name. This name should help you to know that you are looking at data from the second condition.
5. Save the data file to a meaningful place with a meaningful name. This file should have a .sav extension.

II. Analyze your data

1. Click Analyze, Compare Means and then Paired-Samples T Test. A Paired Samples T Test box will appear.
2. Highlight both variables in the window on the left by clicking on them. Make sure both variables are highlighted.
3. Move both variables to the window on the right by clicking the arrow button.
4. Click the OK button and wait a few seconds for processing.
5. You will see your results. Save the results to a meaningful place with a meaningful name. SPSS should give the output file a .spo extension.

III. Interpret your results

1. Look in the Paired Samples Statistics box for condition means, standard deviations and number of participants.
2. Make sure the number of participants for each condition is accurate. If it is not, go back to the data file and make sure it is correct.
3. Look in the Paired Samples Test box.
4. Check the Sig (2-Tailed) value to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between group means. If the Sig (2-Tailed) value is greater than .05,  you can conclude that there is no statistically significant difference between your two conditions – that the IV did not have a significant effect on the DV. However, if the Sig (2-Tailed) value is less than or equal to .05, you can conclude that there is a statistically significant difference between your two conditions. This means that it is likely that the IV did have an effect on the DV and the results were not likely due to chance.

IV. Report your results

1. Report the type of test used and what it was used to test.
2. Report whether or not there was a significant difference between your conditions. Include the group means, standard deviation, and the T-test values.
3. Report your results in words that people can understand.

Background | Enter Data | Analyze Data | Interpret Data | Report Data