Interpreting Basic Statistics

• Students get valuable practice in interpreting statistical reporting as it actually appears in journals. In each of the 62 exercises, your students will read a brief excerpt of statistical reporting from a published research article.

• Each exercise begins with guidelines for interpreting the statistics in the excerpt.

• The questions on the excerpts promote learning by requiring students to

· interpret information in tables and figures,

· perform simple calculations to further their interpretations,

· critique data-reporting techniques, and

· evaluate procedures used to collect data.

• Each exercise covers a limited number of statistics, making it easy for you to coordinate the exercises with lectures and a main textbook.

• The questions in each exercise are divided into two parts: (1) Factual Questions and (2) Questions for Discussion. The factual questions require careful reading for details, while the discussion questions show students that interpreting statistics is more than a mathematical exercise. These questions require them to apply good judgment as well as statistical reasoning in arriving at appropriate interpretations.

• Thirteen new exercises interspersed throughout show how to interpret a greater array of statistical reporting.