Understanding Statistics

An Introduction for the Social Sciences

Author Daniel B. Wright presents a comprehensive and unusually accessible introduction to using statistics in the social sciences. In a clear and engaging style, Understanding Statistics describes the most popular statistical techniques, explaining their basic principles and showing how to use them. Wright explains the theoretical relationship between statistics and research, outlining the place of statistics in the research process and introducing hypothesis testing. The author also describes the two t-tests in detail. This serves as a foundation for the rest of the book and develops skills that are called upon in later chapters. Regression, analysis of variance, and two-variable tests--the three main families of statistical tests--are examined in detail. This ideal introductory textbook concludes with a guide to more advanced techniques. Understanding Statistics is illustrated with examples from across the social sciences and combines step-by-step advice, assignments, chapter summaries, and a list of further reading, making this a perfect textbook for students across the social sciences.