Statistics in Plain English

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Quick Guide to Statistics, Formulas, and Degrees of Freedom
Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Science Research Principles and Terminology
	The Importance of Statistics and Research in Our Lives
	Terminology Used in Statistics and Research Methods
	Making Sense of Distributions and Graphs
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 2: Measures of Central Tendency
	Measures of Central Tendency in Depth
	Example: The Mean, Median, and Mode of Skewed Distributions
	Writing It Up
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 3: Measures of Variability
	Range
	Variance
	Standard Deviation
	Measures of Variability in Depth
	Examples: Examining the Range, Variance, and Standard Deviation
	Worked Examples
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 4: The Normal Distribution
	Characteristics of the Normal Distribution
	Why Is the Normal Distribution So Important?
	The Normal Distribution in Depth
	The Relationship between the Sampling Method and the Normal Distribution
	Skew and Kurtosis
	Example 1: Applying Normal Distribution Probabilities to a Normal Distribution
	Example 2: Applying Normal Distribution Probabilities to a Nonnormal Distribution
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 5: Standardization and z Scores
	Standardization and z Scores in Depth
	Interpreting z Scores
	Examples: Comparing Raw Scores and z Scores
	Worked Examples
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 6: Standard Errors
	What Is a Standard Error?
	Standard Errors in Depth
	How to Calculate the Standard Error of the Mean
	The Central Limit Theorem
	The Normal Distribution and t Distributions: Comparing z Scores and t Values
	The Use of Standard Errors in Inferential Statistics
	Example: Sample Size and Standard Deviation Effects on the Standard Error of the Mean
	Worked Examples
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 7: Statistical Significance, Effect Size, and Confidence Intervals
	Statistical Significance in Depth
	Assumptions of Parametric Tests
	Limitations of Statistical Significance Testing
	Effect Size in Depth
	Confidence Intervals in Depth
	Example: Statistical Significance, Confidence Interval, and Effect Size for a One-Sample t Test of Motivation
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 8: t Tests
	What Is a t Test?
	t Distributions
	The One-Sample t Test
	The Independent Samples t Test
	Dependent (Paired) Samples t Test
	Independent Samples t Tests in Depth
	Paired or Dependent Samples t Tests in Depth
	Example 1: Comparing Boys’ and Girls’ Grade Point Averages
	Example 2: Comparing Fifth- and Sixth-Grade GPAs
	Writing It Up
	Worked Examples
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 9: One-Way Analysis of Variance
	ANOVA vs. Independent t Tests
	One-Way ANOVA in Depth
	Post-Hoc Tests
	Effect Size
	Example: Comparing the Sleep of 5-, 8-, and 12-Year-Olds
	Writing It Up
	Worked Example
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 10: Factorial Analysis of Variance
	When to Use Factorial ANOVA
	Some Cautions
	Factorial ANOVA in Depth
	Analysis of Covariance
	Illustration of Factorial ANOVA, ANCOVA, and Effect Size with Real Data
	Example: Performance, Choice, and Public vs. Private Evaluation
	Writing It Up
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 11: Repeated-Measures Analysis of Variance
	When to Use Each Type of Repeated-Measures Technique
	Repeated-Measures ANOVA in Depth
	Repeated-Measures Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA)
	Adding an Independent Group Variable
	Example: Changing Attitudes about Standardized Tests
	Writing It Up
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 12: Correlation
	When to Use Correlation and What It Tells Us
	Pearson Correlation Coefficients in Depth
	Comparing Correlation Coefficients and Calculating Confidence Intervals: The Fisher’s Z Transformation
	A Brief Word on Other Types of Correlation Coefficients
	Example: The Correlation Between Grades and Test Scores
	Worked Example: Statistical Significance of a Sample Correlation Coefficient
	Writing It Up
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 13: Regression
	Simple vs. Multiple Regression
	Regression in Depth
	Multiple Regression
	Example: Predicting the Use of Self-Handicapping Strategies
	Writing It Up
	Worked Examples
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 14: Nonparametric Statistics
	Mann-Whitney U
	Mann-Whitney U Test in Depth
	Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test
	Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test in Depth
	Kruskal-Wallis Test
	Chi-square (χ2) Test of Independence
	Chi-Square Test of Independence in Depth
	Example: Generational Status and Grade Level
	Writing It Up
	Worked Example
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 15: Factor Analysis and Reliability Analysis: Data Reduction Techniques
	Factor Analysis in Depth
	A More Concrete Example of Exploratory Factor Analysis
	Confirmatory Factor Analysis: A Brief Introduction
	Reliability Analysis in Depth
	Writing It Up
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Chapter 16: Person-Centered Analysis
	Cluster Analysis
	Cluster Analysis in Depth
	Latent Class Analysis
	Latent Class Analysis in Depth
	Writing It Up
	Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Appendix A: Area under the Normal Curve beyond Z
Appendix B: Critical Values of the t Distributions
Appendix C: Critical Values of the F Distributions
Appendix D: Critical Values of the Studentized Range Statistic (for Tukey HSD Tests)
Appendix E: Table of the Fischer’s Z Transformations for Correlation Coefficients
Appendix F: Critical Values of the Mann-Whitney U Statistic
Appendix G: Critical Values for Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test
Appendix H: Critical Values of the X2 Distributions
Bibliography
Glossary of Symbols
Glossary of Terms
Index