Kategoria BISAC: Social Science >> Statistics

The study of social dynamics using quantitative methodology is complex and calls for cutting-edge technical and methodological approaches in social science research. This book presents the existing statistical models and methods available for understanding social change over time. It provides step-by-step instructions for designing and conducting longitudinal research, with special focus on the longitudinal analysis of both quantitative outcomes (for the modeling of change in continuous variables) and qualitative outcomes (for the modeling of events occurring over time). Readers will learn...

Surveying an area dense with conflicting observations and ideas, this volume vividly depicts the current state of knowledge as well as the great diversity of opinion in the field of population ecology. Ten papers by outstanding authorities focus on three main issues-the effects of environment and population density on population dynamics, the influence of animal behavior on population growth, and the possibilities of genetic feedback or short-term evolutionary change on control of animal populations. An incisive introduction by the editor establishes a frame of reference and supplies succinct...

How did the fact become modernity's most favored unit of knowledge? How did description come to seem separable from theory in the precursors of economics and the social sciences?
Mary Poovey explores these questions in A History of the Modern Fact, ranging across an astonishing array of texts and ideas from the publication of the first British manual on double-entry bookkeeping in 1588 to the institutionalization of statistics in the 1830s. She shows how the production of systematic knowledge from descriptions of observed particulars influenced government, how numerical...

How did the fact become modernity's most favored unit of knowledge? How did description come to seem separable from theory in the precursors of economics and the social sciences?
Mary Poovey explores these questions in A History of the Modern Fact, ranging across an astonishing array of texts and ideas from the publication of the first British manual on double-entry bookkeeping in 1588 to the institutionalization of statistics in the 1830s. She shows how the production of systematic knowledge from descriptions of observed particulars influenced government, how numerical...

This book is a self-teaching guide to the SPSS for Windows computer application. It is designed to be used with SPSS version 13.0, although many of the procedures are also applicable to earlier versions of SPSS. The step-by-step format of this manual "walks" the reader through numerous examples, illustrating how to use the application. The results produced in SPSS are shown and discussed in most examples. Each chapter demonstrates statistical procedures and provides exercises to reinforce the text examples. This book may be used in two ways - as a stand-alone manual for a student learning to...

Following the classical sampling theory, the survey statistician selects samples of people, businesses or others, in order to obtain the desired information. Drawing the samples is usually done by randomly selecting from a list representing the target population. In practice, this list is often not available. At best, the statistician only has access to a different list, indirectly related to the targeted population.

The example of a survey of children where the statistician only has a list of adult persons is a typical case. In this case, the statistician first draws a sample of...

"Introduction to Applied Bayesian Statistics and Estimation for Social Scientists" covers the complete process of Bayesian statistical analysis in great detail from the development of a model through the process of making statistical inference. The key feature of this book is that it covers models that are most commonly used in social science research - including the linear regression model, generalized linear models, hierarchical models, and multivariate regression models - and it thoroughly develops each real-data example in painstaking detail.

The first part of the book provides...

In 1972 a monograph by Cronbach, Gleser, Nanda, and Rajaratnam was published entitled The Dependability of Behavioral Measurements. That book incorporated, systematized, and extended their previous research into what came to be called generalizability theory, which liberalizes classical test theory, in part through the application of analysis of variance proce- dures that focus on variance components. Generalizability theory is perhaps the most broadly defined measurement model currently in existence, and the Cronbach et al. (1972) treatment of the theory represents a major con- tribution to...

Ordinal Data Modeling is a comprehensive treatment of ordinal data models from both likelihood and Bayesian perspectives. Written for graduate students and researchers in the statistical and social sciences, this book describes a coherent framework for understanding binary and ordinal regression models, item response models, graded response models, and ROC analyses, and for exposing the close connection between these models. A unique feature of this text is its emphasis on applications. All models developed in the book are motivated by real datasets, and considerable attention is...

In social science research, differences among groups or changes over time are a common focus of study. While means and variances are typically the basis for statistical methods used in this research, the underlying social theory often implies properties of distributions that are not well captured by these summary measures. Examples include the current controversies regarding growing inequality in earnings, racial diferences in test scores, socio-economic correlates of birth outcomes, and the impact of smoking on survival and health. The distributional differences that animate the debates in...

Learning how to analyze qualitative data by computer can be fun. That is one assumption underpinning this introduction to qualitative analysis, which takes account of how computing techniques have enhanced and transformed the field.

This accessible introduction to statistics using the program SPSS for Windows explains when to apply and how to calculate and interpret a wide range of statistical procedures commonly used in the social sciences. Keeping statistical symbols and formulae to a minimum and using simple examples, this book:
* assumes no prior knowledge of statistics or computing
* includes a concise introduction to the program SPSS for Windows
* describes a wider range of tests than other introductory texts
* contains a comprehensive range of exercises with answers
Fundamental Statistics for...

Statistics play a vital role in the description of the results of empirical research in the social sciences. Consequently, an understanding of the way in which such data have been analyzed is essential to be able to evaluate those results fully and critically. This introduction to statistics using the program SPSS for Windows assumes no prior knowledge of statistics or computing and explains when to apply and how to calculate a wide range of statistical procedures commonly used in the social sciences. Ranging from chi-square and the t-test to analysis of covariance and multiple regression,...

At last--a social scientist's guide through the pitfalls of modern statistical computing

Addressing the current deficiency in the literature on statistical methods as they apply to the social and behavioral sciences, Numerical Issues in Statistical Computing for the Social Scientist seeks to provide readers with a unique practical guidebook to the numerical methods underlying computerized statistical calculations specific to these fields. The authors demonstrate that knowledge of these numerical methods and how they are used in statistical packages is essential for making accurate...

Appropriate for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, this text introduces terminology, approaches, and goals in modelling. Topics include population dynamics, group interaction, political transitions, evolutionary economics, and urbanization. 2002 edition.

A scientific revolution began at the end of the 18th century with the creation and popularization of the graphic display of data by Scottish inventor William Playfair, who introduced the line graph, bar chart, and pie chart into statistics. His remarkable Atlas demonstrated how much could be learned if one plotted data graphically and looked for suggestive patterns to provide evidence for pursuing research. In the Statistical Breviary, Playfair invented the pie chart and expanded upon this concept to facilitate the comparison of the resources of European countries. Playfair's work has great...

In democratic societies, opinion polls play a vital role. But it has been demonstrated that many people do not have an opinion about major issues--the "nonattitudes" problem. Also, the framing of questions in different ways can generate very different estimates of public opinion--the "framing" effect. Both dilemmas raise questions about the competence of ordinary citizens to play the role a democratic society ostensibly expects of them. Although the impact of some factors is well established, particularly political information and sophistication, much is yet to be understood.

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Written for graduate level students in advanced statistics, this handbook offers a comprehensive and practical overview of path analysis. A User's Guide to Path Analysis contains: - Definition and graphical illustrations of basic terms and concepts - Illustration of causal diagrams with emphasis on variable positioning, path symbols, error terms, missing arrows, and feedback loops - In-depth discussion of assumptions underlying path analysis -Discussion of causal model estimation with illustrations -Practical research questions for interpreting a path model -Instructions on how to read a path...

Written for graduate level students in advanced statistics, this handbook offers a comprehensive and practical overview of path analysis complete with: definition and graphical illustrations of basic terms and concepts; illustration of causal diagrams; in-depth discussion of assumptions underlying path analysis; discussion and illustration of causal model estimation; practical research questions for interpreting a path model; and instructions on how to read a path diagram and use the SPSS computer program.

What research designs and methodological features qualify a study for meta-analysis and which disqualify it? What types of research reports are appropriate for the meta-analysis? What is the cultural and linguistic range of the studies to be included? By integrating and translating the current methodological and statistical work into a practical guide, the authors address these questions to provide readers with a state-of-the-art introduction to the various approaches to doing meta-analysis.