Introducing AMOS 17 and SPSS 17

By Patrick McLeod, Research and Statistical Support Services Consultant

Times are always changing here in the Research and Statistical Support area of Academic Computing Services and the late Spring/early Summer of 2009 is no different. Whereas we’re usually gathering information on new statistical techniques, discussing their merits and drawbacks and training ourselves on these new techniques, at this point in time we’re also adding one new software package and ushering in a new version of existing supported software. It’s been a busy couple of months!

AMOS 17

On the new software front, we’re happy to announce that UNT now offers a limited-use network license for AMOS 17. AMOS is a software package built specifically for SEM (Structural Equation Modeling). AMOS joins our existing SEM software, LISREL, to provide the UNT research community with two of the leading SEM packages in use today. You can find out more about AMOS by visiting the following link: http://www.spss.com/AMOS/ . Unlike LISREL, which is a syntax-driven package, AMOS offers the researcher a visual interface for building and estimating models:

Academic Computing Services currently supports a 15 seat network license for AMOS 17 for Windows. This license is intended for use by the UNT research community and for limited use by faculty to evaluate AMOS for potential course adoption. It is not intended for instructional use at this time due to the limited number of seats available. Any faculty member wishing to adopt AMOS for instructional purposes should contact Dr. Philip Baczewski, Director of Academic Computing and User Services, to discuss his or her instructional needs. As a network licensed product, AMOS will only work on machines connected to the UNT network.

One statement of caution from all of us in RSS to anyone thinking about using AMOS: SEM is a complex estimation technique. While you may find AMOS’ graphical approach more intuitive than LISREL’s syntax, the AMOS approach should not be construed as being in any way a substitute for understanding SEM before you begin your work. You can draw a model in AMOS and have AMOS estimate it, but unless your model is informed by the principles and best practices of SEM, you will end up with estimates that are at best meaningless and at worst misleading.  Software should never be a substitute for understanding but rather a tool to implement understanding.

SPSS 17

The first of our two updates to existing software is the new version of SPSS, SPSS 17. SPSS 17 is the currently supported version of SPSS and Academic Computing Services offers SPSS 17 for both Windows and for OS-X. Below is a screenshot of creating a new variable for validation purposes:

SPSS 17 is available for Windows as both a site license installation (installation on a single machine such as a laptop) or as a network installation (installation that acquires licensing from a license server on the UNT network). SPSS 17 is available for OS-X as a site license installation only. On a related note, SPSS is rebranding its products from SPSS to PASW, but the content of the products remains the same. For continuity I will continue to refer to PASW products as SPSS for the time being in my communications with the campus research community. You can read more about SPSS 17 at the following link: http://www.spss.com/statistics/ .