📸 Scatterplot Matrix in SPSS: Graphs → Chart Builder
What Is a Scatterplot Matrix?
A scatterplot matrix (SPLOM) displays all pairwise scatter plots between multiple variables in a single grid. It is the most efficient visual tool for simultaneously exploring relationships, linearity, outliers, and distributional shapes across several variables before running correlations or regression.
Each cell shows the scatter plot for one pair of variables; the diagonal typically shows the variable distribution (histogram or density plot).
Creating SPLOM in SPSS
📸 Correlation matrix accompanying the scatterplot matrix visualization
What to Look For
In the SPLOM, look for: linear vs. curved relationships (inform regression choices), outliers (visible as isolated points), homoscedasticity (even spread across the range), and patterns by group when color-coded. Always inspect SPLOM before running multivariate analyses.
APA Reporting
A scatterplot matrix was examined to assess linearity and outliers prior to regression analysis. All bivariate relationships appeared approximately linear with no extreme outliers. Significant correlations among predictors ranged from r=-.38 to r=.63 (all p<.001).