Explaining Psychological Statistics

by Barry H. Cohen

Book Overview

A clear and accessible statistics text-- now fully updated and revised Now with a new chapter showing students how to apply the right test in the right way to yield the most accurate and true result,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471345822
• ISBN13: 9780471345824
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 792 Pages
• Weight: 3.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 7.0" x 10.4"

Customer Reviews

Great textbook for anyone studying statistics!

Unquestionably, I would highly suggest buying this text if you want to learn about statistics in relation to the behavioral sciences. I had the pleasure of taking a graduate level statistics course with the author of this book, Dr. Barry Cohen, at NYU. The ability to take a course from an established academic, who is able to teach from his own book, was an absolute privilege and enhanced my knowledge of statistics by leaps and bounds. Prior to taking the course, I had taken only one undergraduate statistics course, and I was fairly unimpressed with the subject. But after taking the course from Dr. Cohen, and using his well-written, easy to understand textbook, I actually procured a newfound enthusiasm for statistics. The examples in the book are concrete; the tone of the text is upbeat and humorous; and the layout is wonderfully organized and makes the material easy to grasp for a learner at any level. I would highly recommend this book to all instructors, as well as students taking statistics courses. In all honesty, I cannot imagine learning the subject matter from any other text, which is why I will heavily rely on the book as I continue my doctoral studies in psychology. It is important to note that another reviewer mentioned that there are an excessive number of errors in the book. Although there are a few minor misprints, there is an errata page on the author's website, which highlights all of the issues that have thus far been noticed. The errata page is updated if/when additional errors are found, and it is easily accessible to all readers. It seems to me that complaining about misprints (which constitute all of the errors) is rather unproductive, and I found the negative review to be overly harsh and unfounded. The text has been reviewed in scholarly journals, and I find it hard to believe that there are any theoretical errors in this book. Of course, if there is a `real' error, the author has made it clear on his errata page that all problems should be directed to his attention by email. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to both researchers and students in the behavioral sciences. As far as statistics textbooks go, it's a great read!

So you want to learn Psych Stats...

Look, here's the bottom line: This is the best book for learning psychological statistics. Perhaps even more importantly, this was one of the very few books I refuse to sell back after taking the class. I have already used this book on multiple occasions in my work, and have even lent it to a friend for reference. What's more, before I could even start to complain about some minor errors - the author created a website with an entire list of all known errors so that you may correct them. That link is here: [...] Certainly if a 4th edition comes out they will be corrected. For a future edition, I cannot come up with any improvements except that if it was possible, it would be really helpful to have a page in the appendix (or accompanying certain sections) explaining how to do certain things on the calculator that are appropriate to the text. Perhaps choosing a popular calculator (like the TI-83+) etc. I also have had the pleasure of meeting, and working with the author, Dr. Barry Cohen. From the combination of reading this book, taking his class on statistics, and meeting with him personally, I have concluded he is one of the top people in the nation in this field. He has on many occasions, pointed out and corrected other highly acclaimed statistiscans in both other statistics textbooks, as well as in the psychology field in general all with a humble attitude. It's also a book that is possible to read without a class - though I don't really recommend that for any subject. Overall: Pros: As clear and thorough enough without getting too complicated for what can seem like an incredibly complex subject. It is about as close to you get as being able to read a textbook like a novel. It is also split into sections A, B and C. So if you are a beginner, you might only work with sections A. If you want the full deal, you can read B and C as well. Cons: Heavy, Orange cover can reflect light and blind people due to high-gloss finish. It is NOT waterproof and does not make phone calls or play music. It does have some water-resistant properties however. Note: Please remember that no matter how well written a textbook is, you have to actually READ IT to learn the material. Simply having it around does not transfer the information into your brain like I had previously thought.

Great book and teacher!

After a 4 year hiatus from my undergraduate days studying psychology, taking Masters Statistics was daunting to say the least. I had the pleasure of working with Barry Cohen, the author of this book, and he made the class pleasurable while the book made learning the formulas and applications and theories behind them as painless as stats can be. the chapter reviews and formula summaries at the end of each chapter are particularly helpful. The organization and flow of the book is logical and easy to follow. I highly recommend this book (and Dr. Cohen's Class!)

Stats book

This book was exactly what it was described to be. Shipped in a timely manner. Great seller!

The most effective (and easy) way to learn statistics

For a while, I was looking for a good book on statistics, and finally, I found it! This book is excellent for those who are going to start learning statistics (every thing is explained very well from very beginning!) as well as for those (like me) who look for more advanced books. It is almost perfect! It has precise and clear explanations, simple brief examples, thoughtfully chosen questions and tasks at the end of each chapter, good overall organization. Every word (well, sentence) contributes to understanding of concepts, no unnecessary information, no waste of time. Every new concept is built on the previous ones, no gaps in explanation, no unanswered questions. It feels as if the author follows a reader's mind, if some questions arise they get answered in the next paragraphs. Pure pleasure! Ultimate book on statistics! Highly recommend.