Routledge Statistical Concepts - A First Course

Statistical Concepts―A First Course presents the first 10 chapters from An Introduction to Statistical Concepts, Fourth Edition. Designed for first and lower-level statistics courses, this book communicates a conceptual, intuitive understanding of statistics that does not assume extensive or recent training in mathematics and only requires a rudimentary knowledge of algebra. Covering the most basic statistical concepts, this book is designed to help readers really understand statistical concepts, in what situations they can be applied, and how to apply them to data. Specifically, the text covers basic descriptive statistics, including ways of representing data graphically, statistical measures that describe a set of data, the normal distribution and other types of standard scores, and an introduction to probability and sampling. The remainder of the text covers various inferential tests, including those involving tests of means (e.g., t tests), proportions, variances, and correlations. Providing accessible and comprehensive coverage of topics suitable for an undergraduate or graduate course in statistics, this book is an invaluable resource for students undertaking an introductory course in statistics in any number of social science and behavioral science disciplines. Review "This edition delivers on many fronts and sets this book apart from the rest. The clear and conversational style emphasizes the applied and practical without compromising the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings. The parallel use of SPSS and R that walks the reader step-by-step through the procedures coupled with fully annotated interpretation of printouts are very appealing to both novice and more seasoned applied researchers. Rather than treating subjects like power and effect size or verification of assumptions in isolation, the authors do a fantastic job of blending them with the analyses to make the story behind the numbers more compelling and complete. The abundance of visuals and APA style write-ups all contribute to simplify and enhance the learning experience." - Devdass Sunnassee, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of North Carolina, USA. "I have relied on previous versions of this textbook to bring to life statistical concepts in my beginning and intermediate level graduate classes. I also share this valuable resource with students who ask questions when working on quantitative projects. This fourth edition brings enhanced materials, explanations, and examples to aid students in gaining basic proficiency in foundational statistical concepts. The detailed and numerous practical examples demonstrate the inner workings of basic statistical methods in the social and behavioural sciences. I look forward to sharing this enhanced edition with our graduate program" -Brian F. French, Washington State University, USA. "Combining theory and mathematical accessibility with examples in various fields of behavioral sciences, SPSS and R applications, APA style write-ups, after-chapter conceptual and practice problems for students, online pedagogical aids, this is a valuable book for introductory statistical courses in behavioral sciences. It has a broad coverage of topics, and the addition of the new chapter on mediation and moderation adds to its value as a classroom text or as a reference for applied researchers." -Feifei Ye, RAND Corporation, USA. "Anyone familiar with previous editions of Statistical Concepts from Lomax and Hahs-Vaughn recognize and appreciate the pedigagogically sound treatment of statistical methods comprising introductory and intermediate topics found in many quantitative methods graduate programs. In addition to enhancements found in the past versions such as APA-style write-ups of statistical results and the numerous screen shots depicting both annotated SPSS input commands and output; the fourth edition begins each chapter with a concrete research scenario to motivate the particular statistic