"Introduction to Quantitative Statistical Analyses" is designed for beginning statistics courses that focus on the statistical procedures commonly used in experimental and correlational research. Following an approach taken by Keppel and his associates, the text seeks to familiarize students with the statistical tests most often encountered in the literature. Doing calculations by hand is important for understanding statistical operations, while using computer software (e.g., SPSS) is important for future statistical work. This text emphasizes both approaches, helping students develop a deeper understanding of the application of statistical analyses.
The book also explores some limitations of the null-hypothesis approach, which dominates traditional statistical analyses of psychology experiments. This is done by introducing procedures for estimating effect size and power, as well as introducing confidence intervals as a more informative test of the difference between two means. Analytical comparisons are detailed throughout the book to emphasize the importance of gaining as much information as possible from one s data. "Introduction to Quantitative Statistical Analyses" delivers a representative and readable account of statistical procedures commonly described in journal articles. This is an ideal text for students preparing for advanced psychology classes and other social science courses that use readings with complex statistical analysis.
William P. Wallace (Ph.D., Northwestern University), Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, has taught undergraduate and graduate statistics courses for over 30 years. His primary research interest involves experimental studies of human memory, which is the focus of the majority of the journal articles he has authored.
Jill A. Yamashita (Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno), Assistant Professor at California State University, Monterey Bay, is a cognitive psychologist with research interests and published journal articles in both false memory and face perception (the malleability of human memory and processes in face recognition and discrimination). For the past several years, her teaching responsibilities have included an advanced statistics course.