SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

520 EXAMINE
Options
Cells. You can subdivide cases into cells based on their values for grouping (factor) variables
using the BY keyword on the VARIABLES subcommand.
Output. You can control the display of output using the COMPARE subcommand. You can
specify the computational method and break points for percentiles with the PERCENTILES
subcommand, and you can assign a variable to be used for labeling outliers on the ID
subcommand.
Plots. You can request stem-and-leaf plots, histograms, vertical boxplots, spread-versus-level
plots with Levene tests for homogeneity of variance, and normal and detrended probability
plots with tests for normality. These plots are available through the PLOT subcommand.
Statistics. You can request univariate statistical output with the STATISTICS subcommand
and maximum-likelihood estimators with the MESTIMATORS subcommand.
Basic Specification
• The basic specification is VARIABLES and at least one dependent variable.
• The default output includes a Descriptives table displaying univariate statistics (mean,
median, standard deviation, standard error, variance, kurtosis, kurtosis standard error,
skewness, skewness standard error, sum, interquartile range (IQR), range, minimum,
maximum, and 5% trimmed mean), a vertical boxplot and a stem-and-leaf plot. Outliers
are labeled on the boxplot with the system variable $CASENUM.
Subcommand Order
Subcommands can be named in any order.
Limitations
Example
• When string variables are used as factors, only the first eight characters are used to form
cells. String variables cannot be specified as dependent variables.
• When more than eight crossed factors (for example, A, B, ... in the specification Y
by A by B by ...) are specified, the command is not executed.
EXAMINE VARIABLES=ENGSIZE,COST.
• ENGSIZE and COST are the dependent variables.
• EXAMINE produces univariate statistics for ENGSIZE and COST in the Descriptives table
and a vertical boxplot and a stem-and-leaf plot for each variable.