Your Statistical Consultant : Answers to Your Data Analysis Questions

by Rae R. Newton

• ISBN13: 9780803958234
• ISBN10: 0803958234
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-12
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc

Summary

"I wish I had owned this book in graduate school. Instead of searching for busy professors to answer my statistical questions, I could have obtained timely and easy-to-understand answers in the pages of this well-written and user-friendly text." --C. Keith Haddock, University of Missouri, Kansas City "An excellent book that contains clear discussions of topics traditionally covered in statistics texts, plus easily accessible accounts of newly important topics, such as the debate over statistical significance, effect sizes, and meta-analysis. It is more than a reference work. It is a very well-written general work on statistics problems. The authors say that their emphasis is on "appropriate use" rather than understanding, but I think this is to sell the book short. It contains some of the clearest, most easily accessible discussions of statistical techniques likely to facilitate students'' understanding that I have read." --W. Paul Vogt, Illinois State University "The book is written in a reader-friendly style, provides conceptual bases for technical explanations, and is replete with easily understood examples. It addresses common problems encountered in data management, analysis, and interpretation. I recommend this book to alleviate doctoral students'' anxiety about the advanced statistical courses they are required to take. The book will provide a solid foundation, a sense of confidence, and a ready resource for doctoral students beginning their research sequence." --Mary Colette Smith, University of Alabama, Birmingham Although many graduate students and researchers have had course work in statistics, they sometimes find themselves stumped in proceeding with a particular set of data. In these situations, it is common to turn to a colleague with much experience fielding quantitative questions. However, Your Statistical Consultant is an authentic alternative resource for introducing, describing, and making recommendations regarding thorny or confusing statistical issues. Written to be responsive to a wide range of inquiries and levels of expertise, this book is flexibly organized so readers can either read it sequentially or turn directly to the sections that correspond to their concerns and questions. The book is organized into four parts that identify the topics covered. Each chapter opens with a list of questions that will be addressed, followed by an overview of the chapter. Key terms are bold-faced within the chapter and key points are italicized. Chapter headings are followed by detailed answers to questions, including a conceptual explanation and explanation of the use and nuances of a particular technique or issue.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: GETTING STARTED WITH STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

How Do I Prepare Data for Statistical Analysis?

How Do I Examine Data Prior to Analysis?

PART TWO: THE LOGIC OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: ISSUES REGARDING THE NATURE OF STATISTICS AND STATISTICAL TESTS

Traditional Approaches to Statistical Analysis and the Logic of Statistical Inference

Rethinking Traditional Paradigms

Power, Effect Size and Hypothesis Testing Alternatives

What Are the Assumptions of Statistical Testing?

How Do I Select the Appropriate Statistical Test?

PART THREE: ISSUES RELATED TO VARIABLES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTIONS

How Do I Deal with Non-Normality, Missing Values and Outliers?

Types of Variables and Their Treatment in Statistical Analysis

PART FOUR: UNDERSTANDING THE BIG TWO: MAJOR QUESTIONS ABOUT ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND REGRESSION ANALYSIS

Questions about Analysis of Variance

Questions about Multiple Regression Analysis

The Bigger Picture