Full Description
Written in a humorous and encouraging style, this text shows how the most common statistical tools can be used to answer interesting real-world questions, presented as mysteries to be solved. Engaging research examples lead the reader through a series of six steps, from identifying a researchable problem to stating a hypothesis, identifying independent and dependent variables, and selecting and interpreting appropriate statistical tests. All techniques are demonstrated both manually and with the help of SPSS software. The book provides students and others who may need to read and interpret statistically based research with the essential knowledge and skills needed to make decisions based on data.User-Friendly Features*Checklists of key words and formulas in every chapter.*Examples of SPSS screenshots used for analyzing data.*Cautionary notes plus "Putting It All Together" section recaps.*End-of-chapter self-quizzes (with full answers and explanations).*Glossary of terms.
Contents
IntroductionStatistics!A Little BackgroundMany Students Don't Know What They're Getting IntoA Few Simple StepsSummaryDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?1. Identifying a Research Problem and Stating HypothesesStep 1: Identify a Problem That Can Be Investigated Using Inferential StatisticsStep 2: State a Hypothesis about the Problem You Are InvestigatingDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Quiz Time!2. Identifying the Independent and Dependent Variables in a HypothesisStep 3: Be Able to Identify the Independent Variable(s) and the Levels of the Independent Variable(s) in Your HypothesisStep 4: Be Able to Identify and Statistically Describe the Dependent Variable(s) in Your HypothesisDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Do You Understand These Formulas?Quiz Time!3. Measures of Dispersion and Measures of Relative StandingMeasures of DispersionMeasures of Relative StandingSummary of the Measures of Dispersion and Measures of Relative StandingDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Do You Understand These Formulas?Quiz Time!4. Graphically Describing the Dependent VariableGraphical Descriptive StatisticsThe Normal DistributionDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Quiz Time!5. Choosing the Right Statistical TestThe Very BasicsHow Are We Doing So Far?Estimating Population Parameters Using Confidence IntervalsPredicting a Population Parameter Based on a Sample Statistic Using Confidence IntervalsTesting Hypotheses about a Population Parameter Based on a Sample StatisticTesting a One-Tailed HypothesisTesting a One-Tailed "Less Than" HypothesisSummarizing What We Just SaidBe Careful When Changing Your Alpha ValuesThe Heart of Inferential StatisticsProbability ValuesStep 5 Summary of Choosing the Right Statistical TestDo You Understand These Formulas and Symbols?Quiz Time!6. The One-Sample t-TestWelcome to the Guinness BreweriesThe t DistributionLet's Look at a Directional HypothesisOne More TimeLet's Use the Six-Step ModelSummary of the One-Sample t-TestDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Do You Know These Formulas?Quiz Time!7. The Independent-Sample t-TestIf We Have Samples from Two Independent Populations, How Do We Know If They Are Significantly Different from One Another?Putting the Independent-Sample t-Test to WorkSummary of the Independent-Sample t-TestDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Do You Understand These Formulas?Quiz Time!8. The Dependent-Sample t-TestThat's Great, But How Do We Test Our Hypothesis?Independence versus DependenceTesting a Two-Tailed HypothesisLet's Move Forward and Use Our Six-Step ModelThe Case of the Unexcused StudentsThe Case of Never Saying NeverSummary of the Dependent Sample t-TestDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Do You Understand These Formulas?Quiz Time!9. The Analysis of VarianceUnderstanding the ANOVAThe Different Types of ANOVAsAssumptions of the ANOVACalculating the ANOVAThe Factorial ANOVAInterpreting the Interaction p ValueSummary of the ANOVADo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Do You Understand These Formulas?Quiz Time!10. The Chi-Square TestsThe One-Way Chi-Square TestThe Factorial Chi-Square Test (the Chi-Square Test of Independence)Computing the Chi-Square StatisticThe Chi-Square Test of IndependenceComputing Chi-square for the Test of IndependencePost-Hoc Tests Following the Chi-SquareSummary of the Chi-Square TestsDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Do You Understand These Formulas?Quiz Time!11. The Correlational ProceduresUnderstanding the Idea of CorrelationsInterpreting Pearson's rA Nonparametric Correlational ProcedureLinear RegressionSummary of the Correlational ProceduresDo You Understand These Key Words and Phrases?Do You Understand These Formulas?Quiz Time!Conclusion. Have We Accomplished What We Set Out to Do?Statistics in a New LightA Limited Set of Statistical TechniquesThe Use of Statistical Software PackagesA Straightforward ApproachAppendix A: Area Under the Normal Curve Table (Critical Values of z)Appendix B. Critical Values of tAppendix C. Critical Values of F When Alpha = .01Appendix D. Critical Values of F When Alpha = .-05Appendix E. Critical Values of Chi-SquareAppendix F. Critical Values of F When Alpha = .10Appendix G. Selecting the Right Statistical TestGlossaryAnswers to Quiz Time
