Statistics Without Tears

This book is written for anyone who needs or wants to know how statistics work. It assumes no expert knowledge, and teaches through words and diagrams rather than through figures, formulae and equations - providing the perfect approach for the non-mathematical reader. Written as a "tutorial in print", Derek Rowntree includes questions in his argument; readers can answer them as they go, enabling them to measure their performance and judge how far they have mastered the subject.CONTENTS of STATISTICS WITHOUT TEARSIntroduction. How to use this book.1. Statistical inquiry. Making sense of experience. What is statistics? Descriptive and inferential statistics. Collecting a sample.2. Describing our sample. Statistical variables. Error, accuracy and approximations.3. Summarizing our data. Tables and diagrams. Central tendency (averages). Measures of dispersion.4. The shape of a distribution. Skewed distributions. Introducing the normal distribution. Proportions under the normal curve. Comparing values.5. From sample to population. Estimates and inferences. The logic of sampling. A distribution of sample-means. Estimating the population-mean. Estimating other parameters.6. Comparing samples. From the same or different populations? Significance testing. The significance of significance. Comparing dispersions. Non-parametric methods.7. Further matters of significance. One- versus two-tailed tests. z-tests and t-tests. Comparing several means. Comparing proportions.8. Analysing relationships. Paired values. Three kinds of correlation. The strength of a correlation. The significance of a correlation coefficient. Interpreting a correlation coefficient. Prediction and regression.Postscript. Review. Caution.Bibliography.Index.