5.1 Checking Variable Setup Before Describing Data
Before running descriptive statistics, pause and check your variable setup. This should now feel familiar.
In jamovi, the same Descriptives analysis can produce different kinds of information depending on the variables you place in the analysis and the options you select. If a variable is set up incorrectly, the output may be confusing or misleading.
What to Check
Before describing data, check:
- the
- the
- the
- whether missing values are coded correctly
- whether computed or transformed variables look plausible
A variable that should be categorical should be set as nominal or ordinal. A variable that should be summarized with a mean and standard deviation should usually be set as continuous.
Why This Matters
Variable setup affects interpretation. For example, if gender is accidentally treated as a continuous variable, a mean for gender might appear or be requested. That number would not be meaningful.
Similarly, if a scale score is treated as nominal, jamovi may not let you use it in analyses where a continuous outcome variable is needed.
Where Descriptives Lives in jamovi
To run descriptive statistics in jamovi:
- Go to the Analyses tab.
- Select Exploration.
- Select Descriptives.
- Move the variable or variables you want to describe into the Variables box.
- Select the statistics and plots that match the kind of variable you are describing.
The rest of this chapter explains which options make sense for different kinds of variables.
A variable contains total scores on a 21-item scale. The values range from 0 to 42. You want to calculate the mean, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum. What measure type should the variable usually use in jamovi?
Answer
It should usually be set as continuous because the total score is being treated as a quantitative scale score.