Statistical Methods in the Biological and Health Sciences

This text is for a first course in statistical methods for students in the life sciences. It is a non-calculus based text aimed at the undergraduate level. This edition emphasizes a more applied approach and includes new topics such as the use of tree diagrams in solving genetics problems, relative risk and diagnostic testing, the use of probability in developing medical charts, and some practical aspects of randomization. The text places emphasis on the real-world utility of statistics, including a heavy reliance on examples and exercises taken form recent literature in biology, medicine, genetics, and ecology. It introduces the concept of probability values (P values) early in chapter 6 and uses them throughout the text, enabling students to become comfortable with the topic so that they can interpret research results accurately. The use of calculators is encouraged as it allows students to concentrate on the interpretation of results rather than the arithmetic computations. Included are many open-ended exercises that can be used to stimulate classroom discussion.
This edition includes many explanations which have been completely rewritten and expanded so as to be more accessible to the new student, notation has been simplified throughout so that the mathematical level is less rigorous. Chapter 2 now introduces probability from a more intuitive point of view; the theory has been downplayed. A new section on multiple regression has been added to chapter 11 and a data disk containing some large data sets is available to the instructor for the IBM PC. An instructor's resource guide (including data disk) is available.