SPSS Discussion Question

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review Chapters 7 and 8 of the Frankfort-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero text and in Chapter 8, p. 256, consider the 2012 Benghazi Terrorist Attack Investigation and focus on how different levels of confidence and sample size work together.
• Review Magnusson’s web blog found in the Learning Resources to further your visualization and understanding of confidence intervals.
• Use the Course Guide and Assignment Help found in this week’s Learning Resources to search for a quantitative article related to confidence intervals.
• Using the SPSS software, General Social Survey dataset and choose a quantitative variable that interests you.

Using SPSS:

1. Take a random sample of 100.
2. Calculate the 95% confidence interval for the variable. 
3. Calculate a 90% confidence interval.
4. Take another random sample of 400.
5. Calculate the 95% confidence interval for the variable. 
6. Calculate a 90% confidence interval.

Post your results and an explanation of how different levels of confidence and sample size affect the width of the confidence interval. Next, consider the statement, “Confidence intervals are underutilized” and explain what the implications might be of using or not using confidence intervals. Provide examples based on the results of your data. Also, use your research to support your findings.

Be sure to support your Main Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.

Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2015). Social statistics for a diverse society (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Chapter 6, “The Normal Distribution” (pp. 177–205) 
• Chapter 7, “Sampling and Sampling Distributions” (pp. 206–236) 
• Chapter 8, “Estimation” (pp. 237–266)

Wagner, W. E. (2016). Using IBM® SPSS® statistics for research methods and social science statistics (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Chapter 3, “Selecting and Sampling Cases” 
• Chapter 5, “Charts and Graphs”
• Chapter 11, “Editing Output”