Two Ways to Distinguish Groups and Lines with a Black & White Printer (For the Regression

Two Ways to Distinguish Groups and Lines with a Black & White Printer (for the Regression or Cleary Model of Fairness)

Note: Each of these methods sometimes works, but they sometimes doesn’t. SPSS programmers keep changing things, so I make no guarantees when it comes to graphing output. SPSS assumes you are using a color printer. If you are using a black-and-white printer and want to distinguish between various groups and their regression lines, one of these two methods may be helpful.

Method #1: Preparing SPSS for a Black-and-White Printer BEFORE you Produce a Graph:

First, when still in the normal “Data View” mode, look at the main menu (the horizontal menu at the top of the screen):

File Edit View Data Transform Analyze Graphs Utilities Add-Ons Windows Help

Select Editfrom the main menu. You will see the following “drop-down” menu:

Undo

Redo

Cut

Copy

Paste

Clear

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Find…

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Options… Select “Options”

The following Options Box will appear; click “Charts” near the top of the box.

DataCurrencyScripts

General Viewer Draft Viewer Output Labels Charts Pivot Tables

Chart TemplateChart Aspect Ratio

☒ Use Current settings[ 1.25 ]

 Use Chart Template File [Browse]

Current Settings:Frame:

Font: Outer

[ Arial ] [▼]☒Inner

Style Cycle Preference:Grid Lines:

[Cycle through colors only] [▼] Scale Axis

 Category Axis

Style Cycles:

[Colors] [Lines] [Markers] [Fills]

[OK] [Cancel] [Apply] [Help]

Click on the triangle below the words Style Cycle Preference:

You will see the following “drop down” menu:

 Cycle through colors only  Use this if you plan to use a color printer or copier

☒Cycle through patterns only  Use this if you plan to use a black & white printer or copier

Select the following option: (•) Cycle Through Patterns Only. What does this do?

It gives a different symbol for each subgroup that is plotted.

To see what the patterns are, select “Markers” from the part of the box labeled

Style Cycles:

[Colors] [Lines] [Markers] [Fills]

You will see a box that looks like this (be sure to click the box next to “Grouped Charts”):

Data Element Markers:

 Simple Charts

☒ Grouped Charts:

O = Category 1

 = Category 2[▲]

X = Category 3[▼]

▼= Category 4

If you are happy with the circle and the square, then click [Continue].

If you want different group symbols, keep reading…

Suppose that you like the starburst marker that is found for “Category 14”(☼)

And you want to use that instead of the square. What do you do to change it?

Click on the words Category 14and it will appear to be “blocked” (highlighted).

Next, see the up arrow [▲] to the right of the grouped charts category list?

If you click that, you will see the starburst symbol moves up. Click it repeatedly

Until it replaces the square for “Category 2.” Then click [Continue].

To apply the changes you have made, go to the menu at the bottom of the “charts” box:

[OK] [Cancel] [Apply] [Help]

Click [Apply] and then click [OK]

This should return you to the “Data Editor” view.

To change the regression line styles, select: edit… options… then, near the bottom of the dialogue box, select “lines” from the menu marked:

Style Cycles:

[Colors] [Lines] [Markers] [Fills]

Select Grouped Charts from the following menu by clicking on the circle to the left of it:

Data Element Lines:

Styles to EditAvailable Lines:

______

O Simple Charts------

[ _____] All data elements ------

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

O Grouped Charts[▲]======

[ _____ ] Category 1| |etc.

[ - - - - - ] Category 2 | |[▲]  Use this up arrow.

[ -.-.-.-.- ] Category 3| |[▼]

[ --.--.--. ] Category 4| |

etc.[▼]

[Insert][Remove]

[Reset Sequence]

[Continue][Cancel] [Help]

There are two things to keep in mind: First, you are going to use a solid line as the overall (total sample) regression line, so you don’t want to use a solid line for either of your subgroups. Second, the “key” that appears in the charts is rather small, so if you use a line with long dashes, even if they have intermittent short dashes, it will appear to be a solid line in the answer key. Potentially very confusing. So you want to have both groups use dashed-type lines, perhaps differing in the spacing between the dashes. Having tested several, I recommend you do the following:

Go to [- - - - -]Category 13 and Click on either the line or the words “Category 13.” Click the (rightmost) up arrow. You will notice that the [- - - - -] line moves up one row (appearing next to “Category 12”). Repeatedly mash the up arrow until the dashed line is assigned to Category 1. Next, move a different small dashed arrow line (such as the line [- - - - ] now appearing next to Category 6) up until it is assigned to Category 2.

After you have assigned these lines to Categories 1 & 2, click on [Continue]…[OK].

Method #2: After you have produced a graph. For example:

First, double-click on the edge of the graph. The chart will reappear in a “Chart Editor” window.

Click on Edit…Properties to bring up another dialogue box (the Properties box, illustrated below).

Select the Variables tab (at the top of the box)… You will see that the first “element type” is called “Markers.” That is fine. What you want to do is to add a second element type – your regression lines for the groups.

Step 1: Look at the demographic variable (e.g., Whites and Blacks). Does it say “Group” to the right?

If it DOES, go to Step 2. If not, click on the area where “Group” should be.

A drop-down menu will appear. Select “Group”.

Note: It is important that the demographic group variable that you have chosen be set to “Group” so that you can get regression lines for each demographic group.

Step 2: In the row of buttons (near the bottom) labeled [Previous] [Delete] [New] [Next] select [New].

Step 3: Now, where it says ELEMENT TYPE (near the top of the dialog box):

use the drop down menu to select Fit Line.

(If it asks what type of line, select Regression line from the options.)

Step 4: Click on the word “Color.” A drop-down menu will appear. Change it to Style: Dash.

Step 5: Go to the bottom row and click [Apply].

If that doesn’t work, double-click ONE of the regression lines in the graph (it is sometime ‘tricky’ to get it to highlight only one of the lines. A “Properties” dialog box will open. Click the “lines” tab at the top, then click on “Style▼”. A drop-down menu will appear with a variety of line styles from which you can select. Click Apply then Close. Repeat the process for the other line

If you look at your graph now, you will see two lines (with different dashes) appear for the two demographic groups you are graphing. Are the two lines close together or far apart?