This book introduces social researchers to all aspects of statistical modelling in an easily accessible but informative way. A website will accompany the book which will provide additional information and exercises. It is the first text to introduce the social researcher to the principles of statistical modelling and to the full range of methods available. This book describes in words rather than mathematical notation the aims and principles of statistical modelling but helpfully remains fully comprehensive.

Written specifically for graduate students and practitioners beginning social science research, Statistical Modeling and Inference for Social Science covers the essential statistical tools, models and theories that make up the social scientist's toolkit. Assuming no prior knowledge of statistics, this textbook introduces students to probability theory, statistical inference and statistical modeling, and emphasizes the connection between statistical procedures and social science theory. Sean Gailmard develops core statistical theory as a set of tools to model and assess relationships between variables - the primary aim of social scientists - and demonstrates the ways in which social scientists express and test substantive theoretical arguments in various models. Chapter exercises guide students in applying concepts to data, extending their grasp of core theoretical concepts. Students will also gain the ability to create, read and critique statistical applications in their fields of interest.

Contributors thoroughly survey the most important statistical models used in empirical reserch in the social and behavioral sciences. Following a common format, each chapter introduces a model, illustrates the types of problems and data for which the model is best used, provides numerous examples that draw upon familiar models or procedures, and includes material on software that can be used to estimate the models studied. This handbook will aid researchers, methodologists, graduate students, and statisticians to understand and resolve common modeling problems.

Making Sense of Statistical Methods in Social Research is a critical introduction to the use of statistical methods in social research. It provides a unique approach to statistics that concentrates on helping social researchers think about the conceptual basis for the statistical methods they′re using. Whereas other statistical methods books instruct students in how to get through the statistics-based elements of their chosen course with as little mathematical knowledge as possible, this book aims to improve students′ statistical literacy, with the ultimate goal of turning them into competent researchers. Making Sense of Statistical Methods in Social Research contains careful discussion of the conceptual foundation of statistical methods, specifying what questions they can, or cannot, answer. The logic of each statistical method or procedure is explained, drawing on the historical development of the method, existing publications that apply the method, and methodological discussions. Statistical techniques and procedures are presented not for the purpose of showing how to produce statistics with certain software packages, but as a way of illuminating the underlying logic behind the symbols. The limited statistical knowledge that students gain from straight forward ′how-to′ books makes it very hard for students to move beyond introductory statistics courses to postgraduate study and research. This book should help to bridge this gap.

This lively and engaging book explains the things you have to know in order to read empirical papers in the social and health sciences, as well as the techniques you need to build statistical models of your own. The discussion in the book is organized around published studies, as are many of the exercises. Relevant journal articles are reprinted at the back of the book. Freedman makes a thorough appraisal of the statistical methods in these papers and in a variety of other examples. He illustrates the principles of modelling, and the pitfalls. The discussion shows you how to think about the critical issues - including the connection (or lack of it) between the statistical models and the real phenomena. The book is written for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in statistics, as well as students and professionals in the social and health sciences.

A core statistics text that emphasizes logical inquiry, not math Basic Statistics for Social Research teaches core general statistical concepts and methods that all social science majors must master to understand (and do) social research. Its use of mathematics and theory are deliberately limited, as the authors focus on the use of concepts and tools of statistics in the analysis of social science data, rather than on the mathematical and computational aspects. Research questions and applications are taken from a wide variety of subfields in sociology, and each chapter is organized around one or more general ideas that are explained at its beginning and then applied in increasing detail in the body of the text. Each chapter contains instructive features to aid students in understanding and mastering the various statistical approaches presented in the book, including: Learning objectives Check quizzes after many sections and an answer key at the end of the chapter Summary Key terms End-of-chapter exercises SPSS exercises (in select chapters) Ancillary materials for both the student and the instructor are available and include a test bank for instructors and downloadable video tutorials for students.

Statistical methods in modern research increasingly entail developing, estimating and testing models for data. Rather than rigid methods of data analysis, the need today is for more flexible methods for modelling data. In this logical, easy-to-follow and exceptionally clear book, David Flora provides a comprehensive survey of the major statistical procedures currently used. His innovative model-based approach teaches you how to: Understand and choose the right statistical model to fit your data Match substantive theory and statistical models Apply statistical procedures hands-on, with example data analyses Develop and use graphs to understand data and fit models to data Work with statistical modeling principles using any software package Learn by applying, with input and output files for R, SAS, SPSS, and Mplus. Statistical Methods for the Social and Behavioural Sciences: A Model Based Approach is the essential guide for those looking to extend their understanding of the principles of statistics, and begin using the right statistical modeling method for their own data. It is particularly suited to second or advanced courses in statistical methods across the social and behavioural sciences.

Written by a sociologist, a graph theorist, and a statistician, this title provides social network analysts and students with a solid statistical foundation from which to analyze network data. Clearly demonstrates how graph-theoretic and statistical techniques can be employed to study some important parameters of global social networks. The authors uses real life village-level social networks to illustrate the practicalities, potentials, and constraints of social network analysis ("SNA"). They also offer relevant sampling and inferential aspects of the techniques while dealing with potentially large networks. Intended Audience This supplemental text is ideal for a variety of graduate and doctoral level courses in social network analysis in the social, behavioral, and health sciences

Statistical modeling is a critical tool in scientific research. This book provides comprehensive explanations of the concepts and philosophy of statistical modeling, together with a wide range of practical and numerical examples. The authors expect this work to be of great value not just to statisticians but also to researchers and practitioners in various fields of research such as information science, computer science, engineering, bioinformatics, economics, marketing and environmental science. It’s a crucial area of study, as statistical models are used to understand phenomena with uncertainty and to determine the structure of complex systems. They’re also used to control such systems, as well as to make reliable predictions in various natural and social science fields.

This book integrates social science research methods and the descriptions of 46 univariate, bivariate, and multivariate tests to include a description of the purpose, assumptions, example research question and hypothesis, SPSS procedure, and interpretation of SPSS output for each test. Included throughout the book are various sidebars highlighting key points, images and SPSS screenshots to assist understanding the material presented, self-test reviews at the end of each chapter, a decision tree to facilitate identification of the proper statistical test, examples of SPSS output with accompanying analysis and interpretations, links to relevant web sites, and a comprehensive glossary. Underpinning all these features is a concise, easy to understand explanation of the material.