How to Compute Total Scale Scores in SPSS
There are different ways to compute total scale scores, some of which are discussed in
your book. Many scale scores are computed by summing the responses to all of the items
included in the scale. For example, in the RAINN data, you may want to compute a
“Total Satisfaction” score by summing all of the five satisfaction items. To compute a
total scale score by summing the items follow these steps:
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Open the SPSS data file.
Select Transform from the SPSS main toolbar.
Select Compute Variable.
Type the name of the new variable (the variable name you will assign to the scale
score) in the target variable box in the upper left corner (e.g. Total Satisfaction).
In the Function group box click All or Statistical. Scroll down under Functions
and Special Variables and click on SUM ( ).
Click on the up-arrow to move the function into the number expression box. It
should read, SUM(?,?)
From the Type and Label box, select the variables that are included in the scale by
clicking on each variable and then on the arrow to move it into the parentheses.
There should be a comma between each variable in the parentheses. Once you
have confirmed this, click on OK and you are finished.
9. A new variable with the variable name you assigned it will be found at the end of
your data file. Scroll to the variable and then down the column to look at the
values for Total Scale score.