First Steps in Statistics

First Steps in Statistics is an introduction to the most common statistics used and taught on first-year research methods courses and is designed to map onto a ten- or fifteen-week module. Coverage includes descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVAs, correlations, regressions, and the Chi-Squared test. Throughout the book the importance of graphing data is stressed. Carefully chosen examples are used to illustrate each test, and there is particular care in conveying conceptual aspects. There are also special chapters dedicated to the role of hypothesis testing, sampling, and making graphs. Each chapter includes several exercises, answers to which can be supplied free to adopters upon request to SAGE Publications. A list of further reading to guide the student comfortably though their first experience of doing basic statistics and playing with data is also provided. A gentle primer, and written with the author's typical friendly and humorous style, First Steps in Statistics will become an essential set textbook for students in psychology as well as other social and behavioural science disciplines.It is also likely to be useful for postgraduates who have had no previous statistics training.