4.0 Variables Window - Variables List

If you click on one of the other column heads, the list of variables will resort in ascending order by that identifier. Sorting the variables can be a useful way bringing together longitudinal data from various years, or those with characteristics (Description, Question Name) similar to each other. Sorting can also show you which variables in a group were created for you or were responses to questions.

To sort by Question Name, left-click on the Question Name column heading. You will notice:

1. All the questions with '*Created*" in the Question Name column sort to the top;
2. Below them the question names sort into groups with similar names; and
3. The descriptions within the similar groups often resemble one another.

This process of sorting the variables can help you identify longitudinal items and the scope of their frequency. It can help you distinguish between questions with like Question Names but with differing Descriptions or it can show a correlation between the Question Names and Descriptions.

Now, left-click on the Name column heading to sort the variables in their default order. Your results should look like Figure 2 below.

Figure 2 The Variables Window - List of COMMON Variables

The variable at the top of the list "R0000100   IDENTIFICATION CODE 79 INT... etc." should be highlighted. From this window, the Variables window, you will 'tag' or select variables for your extracts. To select a variable for extract, just place a checkmark in its 'checkbox' under the column entitled Name. To check the box, left-click on it.

However, at this point you may not know enough about a variable to select it for extract. If you are unfamiliar with a variable, this list serves as little more than a reminder or description of what the variable is. To become more familiar with a specific variable, you must examine it in the codebook.

Double-click on R0000100   IDENTIFICATION CODE 79 INT...to open the codebook entry for the identification code variable.

5.0 Text/Cdbk Window - Individual Variable

NOTE:  THIS NUMBER WAS ASSIGNED ACCORDING TO THE
RECORD NUMBER OF EACH RESPONDENT ON THE TAPE.
THE FIRST RESPONDENT WAS ASSIGNED ID#1, THE SECOND2:
WAS ASSIGNED ID#2, ETC.

5.1 CASEID

Figure 3 Text/Cdbk Window - R0000100 IDENTIFICATION CODE 79 INT Variable

As shown in Figure 3 the codebook page includes additional information about a variable. This information will be more relevant when you look at other variables. It is a good idea in the beginning to familiarize yourself with this information about each of the variables that you will want to use in an extract.

6.0 Process of Variable Identification

• Begin in the Contents window (top frame) by double-clicking on an Index to view its contents. The contents of an index are groupings of like variables. You must open the group to view the variables.
• Select one of the content-groups and double-click on it to view the variables contained therein. Sort the variables by Description (click on the column heading "Description") to more easily identify like variables. Note the likenesses and differences of these sub groups. Are the variables created?
• Then select one of the variables in the group and double-click on it to view the specific details about the individual variable in the Text/Cdbk window. Look for documentation links, notes, or references to other variables.
• Lastly, be aware that in the Documents subdirectory on the CD (Contents window, top frame, Documents subdirectory) the hypertext document NLSY79 User's Guide contains more detailed information about some of the variables. The process of finding this detailed information is a little more involved and will be pointed out in the examples below or skip to a summary of the Process of Finding Variable Details.

Next section, 7.0 The COMMON Variables.