In article <4na9mo$dbc@netsrv2.spss.com> nichols@spss.com (David Nichols) writes:

>The REGRESSION procedure in SPSS does not explicitly handle categorical >variables, so it's not possible to just let fly with a stepwise with >categorical predictors with more than two categories. Newer nonlinear >regression procedures such as LOGISTIC REGRESSION and COX REGRESSION >have automatic handling of categorical variables, but REGRESSION does >not at the current time have this capability. You can, of course, do >what a stepwise analysis does "by hand," using multiple runs to get the >same results. It's tedious, but it's the only way.

>-- >----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >David Nichols Senior Support Statistician SPSS, Inc. >Phone: (312) 329-3684 Internet: nichols@spss.com Fax: (312) 329-3668 >-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmm....can't you get what you want with effects coding or some other coding scheme? I thought I remember learning this in regression class some years ago. The more serious problem with the study though is alluded to by the consultant: stepwise regression. I cannot think of any reason to use it. I wish SPSS & others would just remove this feature. Its just another excuse not to think about what you are doing.

Stuart E. Wugalter Curmudgeon Statistical Computing Consultant, CalStateLA