Generally, we use SPSS for social science research analysis and I have an interest to learn both of this software. But before going into the depth of those software I would like to know from the scientific people those who have good knowledge about R and SAS about the usefulness of this two software in social science research analysis.
Thanks in Advance
A metaphor I have heard comparing R and SPSS is between driving your own car somewhere and taking the bus. To drive your car you need some knowledge about driving and where exactly you are going (you might crash and it is easy to get lost), but you can get to where you want to go. Buses get you between popular places, and all you need to do is sit down. It may not be exactly where you want to go, but can be close.
In practice, knowing a couple of packages is worth while. R has a different philosophy than SPSS and SAS, so if you learn R after SPSS then at first it will seem a little odd. I used mostly SPSS for the first ten years of my work, but now use mostly R. Both have good points.
They are both more powerful, useful and compatible. Do not hesitate to learn them.
Statistics are statistics, regardless of the field in which they are used. If SPSS has more users than R or SAS, that is a matter of tradition and marketing, rather than anything that is either different or unique about that program.
Dear Khondokar Humayun Kabir,
Yes of course both are compatible for social science research analysis.
Good Luck
R and SAS software are now a days widely used software.So it will be very much helpful for social science research.......
A metaphor I have heard comparing R and SPSS is between driving your own car somewhere and taking the bus. To drive your car you need some knowledge about driving and where exactly you are going (you might crash and it is easy to get lost), but you can get to where you want to go. Buses get you between popular places, and all you need to do is sit down. It may not be exactly where you want to go, but can be close.
In practice, knowing a couple of packages is worth while. R has a different philosophy than SPSS and SAS, so if you learn R after SPSS then at first it will seem a little odd. I used mostly SPSS for the first ten years of my work, but now use mostly R. Both have good points.
SPSS has R-integration via a free plug-in. You can run various R analyses through SPSS using the SPSS menu and/or actual R code. This makes SPSS very powerful. Here is an example (with links to installing the R plug-in): http://shawnsstats.blogspot.ca/2016/11/ordinal-alpha-and-omega.html
RStudio is easier to use than R alone, but R Commander is even easier...it has a graphical point and click interface but operates like RStudio in many ways.
Yes. R is free and has more statistical models than SPSS but you need to learn how to write coding lines. SPSS has these codes lines ready and easy to use.
Daniel, your reply reminded me something I used.This metaphor is also valid for a comparison of Windows and Linux.
That's why I sometimes used the phrase "If SPSS is Windows, then R is Linux" when explaining the differences between them to some audiences. Actually they have strong congruences when looked in this way.
Yes, both similar to SPSS,Statistics are statistics nothing is different.
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