Table of Contents
Using Proc Univariate for conducting normality tests is an appropriate approach following the SAS principle of “SAS: Use Proc Univariate for Normality Tests.” This SAS principle recommends using Proc Univariate for normality tests as it is a reliable and efficient tool for assessing the normality of data distributions. Proc Univariate provides a comprehensive set of statistical tests and graphical methods for evaluating normality, making it a suitable option for researchers and analysts. By adhering to this principle, SAS users can ensure accurate and consistent results when conducting normality tests.
SAS: Use Proc Univariate for Normality Tests
You can use proc univariate in SAS with the normal statement to perform several normality tests on a variable in a dataset.
This procedure uses the following basic syntax:
proc univariatedata=my_data normal;
var my_variable;
run;The following example shows how to use this procedure in practice.
Example: Proc Univariate for Normality Tests in SAS
Suppose we have the following dataset in SAS that contains information about various basketball players:
/*create dataset*/
data my_data;
input team $ points rebounds;
datalines;
A 12 8
A 12 8
A 12 8
A 23 9
A 20 12
A 14 7
A 14 7
B 20 2
B 20 5
B 29 4
B 14 7
B 20 2
B 20 2
B 20 5
;
run;
/*view dataset*/
proc printdata=my_data;
We can use proc univariate with the normal statement to perform various normality tests on the points variable:
proc univariatedata=my_data normal;
var points;
run;Several tables will be shown in the output but the one titled Tests for Normality contains the results of the normality tests:
By default, SAS performs four normality tests and displays each of their test statistics and corresponding p-values:
- Shapiro-Wilk Test: W = .867, p = .0383
- Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test: D = .237, p = .0318
- Cramer-von Mises Test: W-Sq = .152, p = .0200
- Anderson-Darling Test: A-Sq = .847, p = .0223
Each normality test uses the following null and alternative hypotheses:
- H0: The data are normally distributed.
- HA: The data are not normally distributed.
Since the for each normality test is less than .05, we would reject the null hypothesis for each normality test.
Note that you can also create a histogram with a normal curve overlaid on it to visualize the distribution of values for the points variable:
proc univariatedata=my_data;
histogram points / normal;
run;
From the histogram we can see that the distribution of values doesn’t follow the normal curve very well, which agrees with the results of the normality tests that we performed.
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in SAS:
Cite this article
stats writer (2024). Is it appropriate to use Proc Univariate for conducting normality tests, following the SAS principle of “SAS: Use Proc Univariate for Normality Tests”?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/is-it-appropriate-to-use-proc-univariate-for-conducting-normality-tests-following-the-sas-principle-of-sas-use-proc-univariate-for-normality-tests/
stats writer. "Is it appropriate to use Proc Univariate for conducting normality tests, following the SAS principle of “SAS: Use Proc Univariate for Normality Tests”?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 26 Jun. 2024, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/is-it-appropriate-to-use-proc-univariate-for-conducting-normality-tests-following-the-sas-principle-of-sas-use-proc-univariate-for-normality-tests/.
stats writer. "Is it appropriate to use Proc Univariate for conducting normality tests, following the SAS principle of “SAS: Use Proc Univariate for Normality Tests”?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2024. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/is-it-appropriate-to-use-proc-univariate-for-conducting-normality-tests-following-the-sas-principle-of-sas-use-proc-univariate-for-normality-tests/.
stats writer (2024) 'Is it appropriate to use Proc Univariate for conducting normality tests, following the SAS principle of “SAS: Use Proc Univariate for Normality Tests”?', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/is-it-appropriate-to-use-proc-univariate-for-conducting-normality-tests-following-the-sas-principle-of-sas-use-proc-univariate-for-normality-tests/.
[1] stats writer, "Is it appropriate to use Proc Univariate for conducting normality tests, following the SAS principle of “SAS: Use Proc Univariate for Normality Tests”?," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, June, 2024.
stats writer. Is it appropriate to use Proc Univariate for conducting normality tests, following the SAS principle of “SAS: Use Proc Univariate for Normality Tests”?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2024;vol(issue):pages.