Suggested answer to exercise: Normal plot for angina and pronethalol, 2

Question 2: Compute the differences in number of attacks, placebo minus pronethalol, and draw a Normal plot (Q-Q plot). Does the distribution look Normal?

Suggested answer

First we compute the difference. Click Transform, Compute. Type a variable name into the Target Variable box. I used 'difference'. Now put the variable 'placebo' into the Numeric Expression box, type or click '-', and put the variable 'proneth' into the Numeric Expression box. You should now have 'placebo-proneth' in the Numeric Expression box. Click OK.

We now draw the Normal or Q-Q plot. Click Analyze, Descriptive Statistics, Q-Q plots. Choose variable 'difference'. Click OK.

I have increased the size of the text on the graph and improved it in various ways:

There is clear departure from the straight line and the distribution does not look Normal.


Back to Exercise: Normal plot for angina and pronethalol.

To Applied Biostatistics index.

To Martin Bland's M.Sc. index.

To Martin Bland's home page.

This page maintained by Martin Bland.
Last updated: 20 February, 2012.

Back to top.