Re: Generating datasets for simulation studies

Posted by Eero Olli on Mar 01, 2013; 10:10am
URL: http://spssx-discussion.165.s1.nabble.com/Generating-datasets-for-simulation-studies-tp5718220p5718318.html

Dear Eins,

 

I have done something like this in SPSS, even though I was satisfied with a few hundred datasets.

 

Basically I wrote a CMD script for windows that contained a list of multiple parameters that were fed to a textfile, line by line, each line specifying one set of conditions for analysis (i.e. a separate dataset).

The command script started SPSS-projects. In SPSS I used python to grab these parameters, to insert them into the right places in the SPSS script and to save the resulting datafile with a name that reveals the most important parameters used. In other words, most of my SPSS script was wrapped inside python.

 

I am sure there are more elegant ways to do it, but this was based on my need for solid documentation for every step in the process, and the tools I feel confident about.

 

I am in a rush now, so I will not try to create a simplified script for example for the list, but I will send you directly a few of these files. If someone else needs these, please let me know.

 

Best,

Eero

 

 

 

Eero Olli                                                                          phone [phone]

Senior Adviser at Equality- and Anti-Discrimination Ombuds office

Mail: Post office box 8048 Dep, 0031 Oslo

Visits: Mariboesgate 13, Oslo

www.ldo.no

 

 

 

 

 

Dear SEM experts,

 

We want to generate thousands of datasets with varied sample sizes (50, 200, 500) from a structural equation model (say, model with one endogenous latent variable and two exogenous latent variables, multivariate normal and skewed variables, each latent variable with three items that used 7-point ordinal options).  

 

We will use the data sets for our simulation studies.  Can you please suggest a software that can generate such data sets?

 

Eins