An Introduction to Statistical Concepts

This comprehensive, flexible text is used in both one- and two-semester courses to review introductory through intermediate statistics. Instructors select the topics that are most appropriate for their course. Its conceptual approach helps students more easily understand the concepts and interpret SPSS and research results. Key concepts are simply stated and occasionally reintroduced and related to one another for reinforcement. Numerous examples demonstrate their relevance. This edition features more explanation to increase understanding of the concepts. Only crucial equations are included.

Each chapter begins with an outline, a list of key concepts, and a vignette related to those concepts. Realistic examples from education and the behavioral sciences illustrate those concepts. Each example examines the procedures and assumptions and provides instructions for how to run SPSS, including annotated output, and tips to develop an APA style write-up. Useful tables of assumptions and the effects of their violation are included, along with how to test assumptions in SPSS. 'Stop and Think' boxes provide helpful tips for better understanding the concepts. Each chapter includes computational, conceptual, and interpretive problems. The data sets used in the examples and problems are provided on the web. Answers to the odd-numbered problems are given in the book.

The first five chapters review descriptive statistics including ways of representing data graphically, statistical measures, the normal distribution, and probability and sampling. The remainder of the text covers inferential statistics involving means, proportions, variances, and correlations, basic and advanced analysis of variance and regression models. Topics not dealt with in other texts such as robust methods, multiple comparison and nonparametric procedures, and advanced ANOVA and multiple and logistic regression models are also reviewed.