Statistical Software for Courses

2023 - 2024

Computing Platforms 

• • 😃Microsoft Windows running on an Intel processor is the best. 

  • 😐macOS is OK. However, the Mac operating system tends to be less-open to programmers outside the Apple corporation, and so bugs are somewhat more common on a Mac. Also, newer Macs contain 'ARM' processors that run many software titles in a slower, 'emulation' mode.

  • 🤔Linux can be  a challenge to use, and is unsupported by the current version of SPSS.  

  • 😕Microsoft Surface "laptop computers" (or at least many of them) use a tablet-like, 'ARM'-based operating system. Despite being branded "Windows," these systems are incompatible with many software titles.

  • 😥Tablets such as iPads and Windows 2-in-1  computers usually use an 'ARM'-based operating system that's incompatible with many software titles.

  • 😥Chromebooks are limited in their capabilities. Newer ones can run software written for the Linux operating system.

jamovi 

• • jamovi is freely installable on your own Windows, Linux, or Mac computers. However, does not currently run on certain Microsoft Surface 'tablet' and  Microsoft '2-in-1' machines that contain non-Intel, "ARM" processors. On newer Macs that contain ARM processors, jamovi runs in "emulation mode," which can be slow.

  • jamovi is currently installed in: (i) 103 Psyc. Bldg., (ii) 120 Psyc Bldg., (iii) the Psychology Graduate Students' Computing Lab, and (iv) the Jerome Library Lobby Lab.

• Usage Tips:

  • • To open a data file (a jamovi file, an Excel file, CSV file, a SPSS file, etc., use "Open" (not "Import").

    • On a Mac, attempting to double-click (to open) a jamovi file produces an error or some other unexpected result. To work around this issue,  follow either of the two procedures below:

    • Mac Work-Around 'A' (for any mac)

      • Open jamovi

      • Step 3: Use the "Open" function on the jamovi menu to open the jamovi (.omv) file you wish to open. 

Other methods will likely fail and/or generate an error message.

• Mac Work-Around 'B' (for your own mac on which you will install jamovi yourself)

  • • If you're using your own Mac: Right-click on the jamovi (.omv) file and  select "get info." In that dialog there's a drop down for "open with," and select jamovi from that list (you may need to click "other" and then navigate to it). Once selected in the list, you can click "change all . . ." which associates all .omv files with jamovi. Subsequently, jamovi files can be opened by double-clicking them. 

• A current bug: Especially if you run a repeated-measures ANOVA, the output table may fail to fully materialize. If that happens, delete the ANOVA (or whatever analysis it is), save the jamovi file, close it, open it again, and then re-do the analysis.

• jamovi's cloud versions can be accessed from any computer, tablet, or smart phone.

The free cloud version is very limited and is frequently unavailable for use. The paid cloud version is inexpensive and has fewer limitations.

• • Other Features:

    • Compared to JASP, jamovi has better integration with R, better data re-coding, and more user-friendly structural equation modeling. However, it has more limited Bayesian options and allows almost no editing of graphs. Note that these feature comparisons may change quickly, since both jamovi and JASP are developing rapidly.

JASP

• • JASP is freely installable on your own Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. 

  • JASP is currently installed in: (i) 103 Psyc. Bldg., (ii) 120 Psyc Bldg., (iii) the Psychology Graduate Students' Computing Lab, and (iv) the Jerome Library Lobby Lab.

  • There is no cloud version of JASP. 

  • Other Features:

    • Compared to jamovi, JASP has more-extensive Bayesian options and better graph editing, but has less-effective integration with R, less-user-friendly structural equation modeling, and less-streamlined data re-coding. Note that these feature comparisons may change quickly, since both jamovi and JASP are developing rapidly.

Microsoft Office (including Excel)

• • The software is installed in all BGSU computer labs and computer classrooms.

  • Online versions of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word are freely available at https://www.bgsu.edu/email (on that page, select the App Launcher icon (at the upper left).

  • You may also install Microsoft Office on your own, personal computer.

SPSS

• • The software is available in many computing labs on campus. However, you may not install SPSS onto your own, personal computer, unless you pay for the software. The Grad Pack "SPSS standard" costs about $120.00 per year. (The cheaper, "base" version is probably insufficient.)

  • Note that SPSS has never been capable of generating a full set of post-hoc comparison for multifactor (e.g., 2 X 2) ANOVAs. In addition, SPSS's graphing has been quite buggy for decades.

R Studio

• • A good option for using R in courses is to use the free, cloud version of R Studio known as Posit Cloud. It can be accessed from any device that has a web browser.