Quantitative Data Analysis and Report-Using SPSS - SPSS Assignment

Internal Code : MAS6110

SPSS Assignment

Questions : Aim for approximately 800-850 words per data set write-up:

•  Participant information: In the case of all analyses you should provide as much demographic information on the sample (e.g., age, gender, sport type) as possible to help contextualise the results. Approx. 100 words per question.
• Data analysis: You should identify and explain the statistical tests that you have chosen and provide a rationale for your choice. Ensure you outline all statistical procedures (including parametric assumption checks) completed and actions as a result of them. Many recent quantitative journal articles in sport and exercise now include a data analysis section like this. Approx. 200 words per question.
•  Results and interpretation: You should report the results in appropriate statistical form. Use tables and figures where appropriate (and ensure these are labelled). The ‘meaningfulness’ of all results should be reported (i.e., effect size) as should an interpretation of the output (i.e., what do the results mean?). Finally, briefly discuss the results in regard to relevant literature. Approx. 500 words per question.

The three data sets you are required to analyse are as follows: 1) The attached data set (Assignment 1a) contains data collected from collegiate athletes who completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory – 2 (CSAI-2: Martens, Burton, Vealey, Bump & Smith, 1990) prior to a competition at a local athletics meet. The CSAI-2 consists of 27 items and measures the intensity of cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence on a 4 point likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much so), with intensity scores ranging from 9-36 for each subscale. The three intensity subscales have all shown adequate internal consistency with alphas between .79 and .90(Martens et al., 1990). All participants in the athletics meet were asked to complete CSAI-2. However, the data in the present sheet only includes the data from those participants who finished on the podium (1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd ) in their respective event. Your task is to explore whether there is a difference in the levels of cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence between the different finishing positions. Outline why a particular test (and any subsequent analysis) was chosen and what assumptions were checked (hint, finishing positions is your independent variable; cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence are your dependent variables). The ‘meaningfulness’ of all results should be reported. 2) The attached data set (Assignment 1b) contains data collected from an experiment to determine whether prior information about a team’s aggressive reputation impacts on the way in which referees perceive the intent to harm when two players are challenging for the ball. A group of referees was shown a series of incidents on video from Argentinean Football League games in which opposing players challenged for the ball. All incidents were taken from a match involving a team that played predominantly in blue (blue team) and a team that played predominantly in white (white team). In a balanced design 30 participants were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups (experimental or control). The information given to both groups was identical apart from the experimental group being primed (via written and oral instructions) that the ‘blue team’ had an aggressive reputation. Following this, each participant watched the same 20 incidents, randomly presented, and responded to each incident indicating whether or not a foul had occurred. These 20 incidents comprised 10 incidents in which the blue team challenged for the ball and 10 incidents in which the ‘white team’ challenged for the ball. For each incident participants were asked to rate the aggressive intent of the player challenging for the ball on a 7 point Likert type scale where 1 = ‘no aggressive intent’, 4 ‘some aggressive intent’ and 7 = ‘a great deal of aggressive intent’. The data were averaged to provide a single score of ‘aggressive intent’ for each condition (challenge by blue or white player). Explore whether there is a difference in the groups’ perceptions of aggressive intent across both conditions in which the players challenged for the ball. Outline why a particular test (and any subsequent analysis) was chosen and what assumptions were checked. The ‘meaningfulness’ of all results should be reported. 3) The attached data sheet (Assignment 1c) contains data in which athletes’ perceptions of their coach is detailed. You are specifically interested in how identification with the coach and team impact upon athletes’ mobilisation of effort. Data regarding athletes’ (N = 50) identification with the coach and team, together with reported mobilisation of effort, were collected on a 7-point Likert scale from 1 ‘Do not agree at all’ to 7 ‘Strongly agree’. Analyse the data to see what sources predicted mobilisation of effort in our participants. Write up your results with reference to the meaningfulness of the analysis. Outline why a particular test (and any subsequent analysis) was chosen and what assumptions were checked.