Statistics for Social Understanding (eBook)

With Stata and SPSS

Howard J. Gold, Nancy E. Whittier, Tina Wildhagen (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2019
416 Seiten
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (Verlag)
978-1-5381-0984-7 (ISBN)

Infos

This new introduction to statistics integrated with STATA and SPSS offers an accessible overview for students in sociology, political science, criminal justice and other social sciences. The text draws on research on the teaching and learning of statistics, Incorporates real-world research, and integrates examples throughout the chapters.

---

Statistics for Social Understanding: With Stata and SPSS introduces students to the way statistics is used in the social sciences--as a tool for advancing understanding of the social world. Written in an engaging and clear voice and based on the latest research on the teaching and learning of quantitative material, the text is geared to introductory students in the social sciences, including those with little quantitative background. It covers the conceptual aspects of statistics even when the mathematical details are minimized. Informed by research on teaching and learning in statistics, the book takes a universal design approach to accommodate diverse learning styles. With an early chapter on cross-tabulation, a focus on comparisons between groups throughout, and a unique chapter on causality, the text shows students the power of statistics for answering important real-world questions. By providing thorough coverage of social science statistical topics, a balanced approach to calculation, and step-by-step directions on how to use statistical software, authors Nancy Whittier, Tina Wildhagen, and Howard J. Gold give students the ability to analyze data and explore and answer exciting questions. To accommodate changing undergraduate courses, the text incorporates examples from both Stata and SPSS in every chapter andprovides practice problems of every type as well as readily available datasets for classroom use, including the General Social Survey, American National Election Study, and more. Each chapter concludes with a chapter summary, a section on using Stata, a section on using SPSS, and practice problems.Statistics for Social Understanding: With Stata and SPSS is accompanied by a learning package, written entirely by Tina Wildhagen, that is designed to enhance the experience of both instructors and students. Author-written ancillaries ensure that supplementary materials match the text in voice, language, and content.

Autor

Nancy Whittier is Sophia Smith Professor of Sociology at Smith College. She has taught statistics and research methods for 25 years, and also teaches classes on gender, sexuality, and social movements. She is the author of Frenemies: Feminists, Conservatives, and Sexual Violence (Oxford University Press, 2018), The Politics of Child Sexual Abuse: Emotions, Social Movements, and the State (Oxford University Press, 2009) and numerous articles on social movements, gender, and sexual violence.Tina Wildhagen is Associate Professor of Sociology and Dean of the Sophomore Class at Smith College. She has taught statistics and quantitative research methods for more than a decade, and also teaches courses on privilege and power in American education, inequality in higher education.Howard J. Gold is Professor of Government at Smith College. He has taught statistics for 30 years, and also teaches courses on American elections, public opinion and the media, and political behavior. His research focuses on public opinion, partisanship, and voting behavior.

Inhalt

Preface About the AuthorsChapter 1 Introduction Why Study Statistics? Research Questions and the Research Process Pinning Things Down: Variables and Measurement Units of Analysis Measurement Error: Validity and Reliability Levels of Measurement Causation: Independent and Dependent Variables Getting the Data: Sampling and GeneralizingSampling Methods Sources of Secondary Data: Existing Data Sets, Reports, and “Big Data” Big DataGrowth Mindset and Math Anxiety Using This BookStatistical SoftwareChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 2 Getting to Know Your DataFrequency DistributionsPercentages and ProportionsCumulative Percentage and PercentilePercent ChangeRates and RatiosRatesRatiosWorking with Frequency Distribution TablesMissing ValuesSimplifying Tables by Collapsing CategoriesGraphical Displays of a Single Variable: Bar Graphs, Pie Charts, Histograms, Stem-and-Leaf Plots, and Frequency PolygonsBar Graphs and Pie Charts HistogramsStem-and-Leaf-PlotsFrequency PolygonsTime Series ChartsComparing Two Groups On the Same Variable Using Tables, Graphs, and ChartsChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 3 Examining Relationships between Two VariablesCross-Tabulations and Relationships between VariablesIndependent and Dependent VariablesColumn, Row, and Total PercentagesInterpreting the Strength of RelationshipsInterpreting the Direction of RelationshipsGraphical Representations of Bivariate RelationshipsChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 4 Typical Values in a GroupWhat Does It Mean to Describe What Is Typical?MeanMedianModeFinding the Mode, Median, and Mean in Frequency DistributionsChoosing the Appropriate Measure of Central TendencyMedian Versus Mean IncomeChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 5 The Diversity of Values in a GroupRangeInterquartile RangeStandard DeviationUsing the Standard Deviation to Compare DistributionsComparing Apples and OrangesSkewed Versus Symmetric DistributionsChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 6 Probability and the Normal DistributionThe Rules of ProbabilityThe Addition RuleThe Complement RuleThe Multiplication Rule with IndependenceThe Multiplication Rule without IndependenceApplying the Multiplication Rule with Independence to the “Linda” and “Birth-Order” Probability ProblemsThe Normal DistributionStandardizing Variables and Calculating Z-ScoresChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 7 From Sample to PopulationRepeated Sampling, Sample Statistics, and the Population ParameterSampling DistributionsFinding the Probability of Obtaining A Specific Sample StatisticEstimating the Standard Error from a Known Population Standard DeviationFinding and Interpreting the Z-Score for Sample MeansFinding and Interpreting the Z-Score for Sample ProportionsThe Impact of Sample Size On the Standard ErrorChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 8 Estimating Population ParametersInferential Statistics and the Estimation of Population ParametersConfidence Intervals Manage Uncertainty Through Margins of ErrorCertainty and Precision of Confidence IntervalsConfidence Intervals for ProportionsConstructing a Confidence Interval for Proportions: ExamplesConfidence Intervals for MeansThe t-DistributionCalculating Confidence Intervals for Means: ExamplesThe Relationship Between Sample Size and Confidence Interval RangeThe Relationship Between Confidence Level and Confidence Interval RangeInterpreting Confidence IntervalsHow Big a Sample?Assumptions for Confidence IntervalsChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 9 Differences between Samples and PopulationsThe Logic of Hypothesis TestingNull Hypotheses (H0) and Alternative Hypotheses (Ha)One-Tailed and Two-Tailed TestsHypothesis Tests for ProportionsThe Steps of the Hypothesis TestOne-Tailed and Two-Tailed TestsHypothesis Tests for MeansExample: Testing a Claim about a Population MeanError and Limitations: How Do We Know We are Correct?Type I and Type II ErrorsWhat Does Statistical Significance Really Tell Us? Statistical and Practical Significance Chapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 10 Comparing GroupsTwo-Sample Hypothesis TestsThe Logic of the Null Hypothesis and Alternative Hypothesis in Two-Sample TestsNotation for Two-Sample TestsThe Sampling Distribution for Two-Sample TestsHypothesis Tests for Differences Between MeansConfidence Intervals for Differences Between MeansHypothesis Tests for Differences Between ProportionsConfidence Intervals for Differences Between ProportionsStatistical and Practical Significance in Two-Sample TestsChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 11 Testing Mean Differences among Multiple GroupsComparing Variation Within and Between GroupsHypothesis Testing Using AnovaAnalysis of Variance AssumptionsDetermining Which Means are Different: Post-Hoc TestsAnova Compared to RepeateD t-TestsChapter Summary Using StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 12 Testing the Statistical Significance of Relationships in Cross-TabulationsThe Logic of Hypothesis Testing with Chi-SquareThe Steps of a Chi-Square TestSize and Direction of Effects: Analysis of ResidualsExample: Gender and Perceptions of HealthAssumptions of Chi-SquareStatistical Significance and Sample SizeChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 13 Ruling Out Competing Explanations for Relationships between VariablesCriteria for Causal RelationshipsModeling Spurious RelationshipsModeling Non-Spurious RelationshipsChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsChapter 14 Describing Linear Relationships between VariablesCorrelation CoefficientsCalculating Correlation CoefficientsScatterplots: Visualizing CorrelationsRegression: Fitting a Line to a ScatterplotThe “Best-Fitting” LineSlope and InterceptCalculating the Slope and InterceptGoodness-of-Fit MeasuresR-Squared (r2)Standard Error of PredictionDichotomous (“Dummy”) Independent VariablesMultiple RegressionStatistical Inference for RegressionThe F-StatisticStandard Error of the SlopeAssumptions of RegressionChapter SummaryUsing StataUsing SPSSPractice ProblemsSolutions to Odd Numbered Practice ProblemsGlossaryAppendix A Normal TableAppendix B Table of t-ValuesAppendix C F-Table, for Alpha = .05Appendix D Chi-Square TableAppendix E Selected List of FormulasAppendix F Choosing Tests for Bivariate RelationshipsIndex

Produkt-Details

• Zusatzinfo: 408 Illustrations including: - 144 Halftones, Color including Color Photographs; - 117 Tables; - 117 Graphs; - 30 Text Boxes.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Natur / Ökologie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie ► Empirische Sozialforschung
• Schlagworte: Gold • introduction to statistics • Political Science Statistics • social science statistics • sociology statistics • Statistics • Statistics for Social Sciences • Student Resources • Whittier • Wildhagen
• ISBN-10: 1-5381-0984-0 / 1538109840
• ISBN-13: 978-1-5381-0984-7 / 9781538109847