Statistical Concepts - A First Course: A First Course

Statistical Concepts―A First Course presents the first 10 chapters from An Introduction to Statistical Concepts, Fourth Edition. Designed for first and lower-level statistics courses, this book communicates a conceptual, intuitive understanding of statistics that does not assume extensive or recent training in mathematics and only requires a rudimentary knowledge of algebra.

Covering the most basic statistical concepts, this book is designed to help readers really understand statistical concepts, in what situations they can be applied, and how to apply them to data. Specifically, the text covers basic descriptive statistics, including ways of representing data graphically, statistical measures that describe a set of data, the normal distribution and other types of standard scores, and an introduction to probability and sampling. The remainder of the text covers various inferential tests, including those involving tests of means (e.g., t tests), proportions, variances, and correlations.

Providing accessible and comprehensive coverage of topics suitable for an undergraduate or graduate course in statistics, this book is an invaluable resource for students undertaking an introductory course in statistics in any number of social science and behavioral science disciplines.

Debbie L. Hahs-Vaughn is Professor of Methodology, Measurement, and Analysis at the University of Central Florida, US. Her research primarily relates to methodological issues when analyzing, and applied research using, complex sample data.

Richard G. Lomax is Professor Emeritus of Educational and Human Ecology at the Ohio State University, US, and former Associate Dean for Research and Administration. His research primarily focuses on early literacy and statistics.