*I've tried a few experiments making Likert scales from normal variates, and seeing whether there was any difference in t-tests. The result: not much difference. The syntax below was what I used. It's set up to make normal variates with a SD of 3 (but you could change that) and means ranging from 0.5 to 5.5; then "Likertize" them by rounding to the nearest point of a 1-to-5 scale. * Posted by Ted Drawneek to SPSSX-L on 2001/09/22. -----START OF SYNTAX----- * Make data file with 3300 cases. data list list /v1 to v3300. begin data end data flip. * Make 1..11 grouping variable. compute group=trunc(($casenum-1)/300)+1. * Make 11 normal variates of SD=3, with means of 0.5 .. 5.5. compute normal=rv.normal(group/2,3). * Make Likert scales. compute likert=rnd(normal). if likert<1 likert=1. if likert>5 likert=5. * t-tests of adjacent groups. T-TEST GROUPS=group(1 2) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(2 3) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(3 4) /VARIABLES=normal likert . T-TEST GROUPS=group(4 5) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(5 6) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(6 7) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(7 8) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(8 9) /VARIABLES=normal likert . T-TEST GROUPS=group(9 10) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(10 11) /VARIABLES=normal likert. * t-tests of groups 2 apart. T-TEST GROUPS=group(1 3) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(2 4) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(3 5) /VARIABLES=normal likert . T-TEST GROUPS=group(4 6) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(5 7) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(6 8) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(7 9) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(8 10) /VARIABLES=normal likert . T-TEST GROUPS=group(9 11) /VARIABLES=normal likert. * t-tests of groups 3 apart. T-TEST GROUPS=group(1 4) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(2 5) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(3 6) /VARIABLES=normal likert . T-TEST GROUPS=group(4 7) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(5 8) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(6 9) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(7 10) /VARIABLES=normal likert. T-TEST GROUPS=group(8 11) /VARIABLES=normal likert . * Table of Frequencies. TABLES /FORMAT BLANK MISSING('.') /TABLES (LABELS) BY group > likert /STATISTICS COUNT ((F5.0) 'Count' ) .