Using Statistics in Social Research: A Concise Approach

This book covers applied statistics for the social sciences with upper-level undergraduate students in mind. The chapters are based on lecture notes from an introductory statistics course the author has taught for a number of years. The book integrates statistics into the research process, with early chapters covering basic philosophical issues underpinning the process of scientific research. These include the concepts of deductive reasoning and the falsifiability of hypotheses, the development of a research question and hypotheses, and the process of data collection and measurement. Probability theory is then covered extensively with a focus on its role in laying the foundation for statistical reasoning and inference. After illustrating the Central Limit Theorem, later chapters address the key, basic statistical methods used in social science research, including various z and t tests and confidence intervals, nonparametric chi square tests, one-way analysis of variance,  correlation, simple regression, and multiple regression, with a discussion of the key issues involved in thinking about causal processes. Concepts and topics are illustrated using both real and simulated data. The penultimate chapter presents rules and suggestions for the successful presentation of statistics in tabular and graphic formats, and the final chapter offers suggestions for subsequent reading and study.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Overview of the Research Process
Chapter 3 Data and Its Acquisition
Chapter 4 Summarizing Data with Descriptive Statistics
Chapter 5 Probability Theory
Chapter 6 Statistical Inference
Chapter 7 Statistical Approaches for Nominal Data: Chi-Square Tests
Chapter 8 Comparing Means Across Multiple Groups: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
Chapter 9 Correlation and Simple Regression
Chapter 10 Introduction to Multiple Regression
Chapter 11 Presenting Results of Statistical Analysis
Chapter 12 Conclusion
Appendix A Statistical Tables
Appendix B Answers to Selected Exercises