A Guide for Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences

This book is a learning tool and reference guide for individuals who are confronted with statistical or research terminology commonly used in the behavioral sciences, whether it be psychology, education, communication, political science, or any of dozens of other fields that study society and individual differences. It provides an overview of common statistical terms, techniques, and processes. The text has two goals. The first is helping readers become better consumers of statistics so they can better understand and interpret results presented to them. The second is presenting information that can be useful for statistics and research methods courses. Unlike most standard textbooks, which are often much longer and more detailed, this book reviews standard statistical concepts and techniques at a very high level using easy-to-understand language and real world examples. Each section includes a general review of the topic, relevant key terms, an example, and a story or illustration that highlights key points and questions. Topics fall within two general areas. The first is measurement and research basics, which covers types of scales, item writing, translations, study design, reliability, and validity. The second is statistical calculations and analyses, including descriptive statistics, distributions, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square, correlation, and regression. The introduction covers many basic statistical concepts and the concluding section presents suggestions for presenting your own statistical results.