SuperANOVA. Accessible General Linear Modeling

SuperANOVA is a general linear modeling program designed specifically for the Macintosh. The software performs ANOVA, MANOVA, ANCOVA, MANCOVA, regression, and provides a full array of associated statistical tests and graphics capabilities; it is functionally comparable to SAS's GLM module for mainframes. Two different versions are available: one for the Macintosh Plus and SE, and an optimized version for the Macintosh II that takes advantage of the 68030 processor. To run SuperANOVA, you need a hard disk, the Macintosh Operating System 6.0.2 or later, and at least 1 megabyte of RAM. This is a powerful package with many features. Consequently, I recommend following the "Quick Start" procedure in the documentation to get an initial feel for the software, rather than popping the disk in and winging it. The "Quick Start" procedure takes the user through a simple two-factor ANOVA on a sample data set which is provided-an excellent introduction to the window format used to construct models and to a few ofSuperANOVA's document features. The procedure takes about ten minutes. It's worth it. Many characteristics of data handling, data analysis, and presentation of results are unique to SuperANOVA. Most programs utilize one window for data entry and viewing and menus or other windows for manipulation of data parameters. SuperANOVA displays the data parameters in a pane of the data set window. This pane contains the type (e.g., real, integer, string), source (e.g., user entered), class (e.g., continuous, nominal), and descriptive statistics for each data column; the pane can be hidden to provide more space in the data entry window, which effectively reduces cluttering of windows on the desktop. Also, the display of data parameters above the data column prevents the user from confusing which parameters are associated with a particular column. Creating data subsets is made easy with a criteria menu at the top of the data window; predefined or newly created criteria can be chosen and the data subsets made with the click of a button. Data entry is made easy with data set clones that are provided; these clones contain empty columns with predefined column attributes so that only data entry needs to be done. This feature provides a considerable time saver. Data can be transferred to SuperANOVA in AS CII format or from other Macintosh applications via the clipboard. Modeling in SuperANOVA is an efficient and simple process. Once the tedious work of entering data is complete, the user can speed through an entire modeling operation without difficulty. Two modeling options are available. A new model can be created, step by step, by choosing variables from a data set and adding them to a blank ANOVA table, or a "Do It" file can be run. A "Do It" file is a complete description of a statistical analysis that was previously performed, including the layout of tables and graphs; such a file can be applied to any data set. SuperANOVA comes with predefined