Understanding Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac) [Hardcover]

Robert R. Pagano (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534617670 | ISBN-13: 978-0534617677 | Publication Date: July 31, 2003 | Edition: 7

Based on over 30 years of successful teaching experience in this course, Robert Pagano's introductory text takes an intuitive, concepts-based approach to descriptive and inferential statistics. Uses the sign test to introduce inferential statistics, empirically derived sampling distributions, many visual aids and lots of interesting examples to promote student understanding. Even students who are not mathematically inclined praise the text for its clarity, detailed presentation, and use of humor to help make concepts accessible and memorable. Thorough explanations precede the introduction of every formula--and the exercises that immediately follow include a step-by-step model that lets students compare their work against fully solved examples. This combination makes the text perfect for students taking their first statistics course in psychology or other social and behavioral sciences.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert R. Pagano received a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1956 and a Ph.D. in Biological Psychology from Yale University in 1965. He was Assistant Professor and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington, Seattle, from 1965 to 1989. He was Associate Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, from 1990 to June 2000. While there, in addition to his other duties, he served as Director of Undergraduate Studies, was the departmental adviser for undergraduate majors, taught both undergraduates and graduate statistics courses, and served as a statistical consultant for departmental faculty. Bob was also Director of the Statistical Cores for two NIH center grants in schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. He retired from the University of Pittsburg in June 2000. Bob's research interests are in the psychobiology of learning and memory, and the physiology of consciousness. He has taught courses in introductory statistics as the University of Washington and at the University of Pittsburgh for over thirty years. He has been a finalist for the outstanding teaching award at the University of Washington for his teaching of introductory statistics.

Bob is married to Carol A. Eikleberry and they have a 15-year-old son, Robby. In addition, Bob has five grown daughters, Renee, Laura, Maria, Elizabeth, and Christina, and one granddaughter, Mikaela. Retirement presents new opportunities for him that complement his interests in teaching and writing. Bob loves tennis and continues to train for a shot at the US Open (although at present he is having difficulty besting his daughter Laura). He also loves the outdoors, especially hiking, and his morning coffee. His favorite cities to visit are Santa Fe, Santa Barbara, and San Diego.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 562 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 7 edition (July 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534617670
• ISBN-13: 978-0534617677
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Introductory Statistics Text, March 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences (Hardcover)

Prior to the first edition of this text I used a different text in my introductory statistics course each year because students did not like my text selections. I've used Pagano's text every year since the first edition was published in 1981 because every year the students tell me to retain this text. It is superbly written and exquisitely designed. It is the best text of its kind that I have seen in the past 25 years of teaching the subject.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, September 21, 2010

By 

Apollos713 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences (Hardcover)

The book is very well-written and is written for people who don't have a math background to easily understand statistics. The author writes in a conversational tone, which is really helpful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, thorough text for undergrad stats course, July 22, 2009

By 

Courtney J. Ross (Greenville, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences (Hardcover)

Pagano does a very nice job with this text. Not only does he explain the meaning and relevance of the statistical tests, he gives very thorough instructions and clear examples of how to carry them out in practice. The strength of the book is that it makes everything come full circle. All in the same chapter, you learn when to use a particular test, how to calculate the test, and what the results actually mean, as well as any assumptions and shortcomings of the test you're using.

Pagano also incorporates several real-world examples of the tests being used (correctly and incorrectly), which was very helpful to me. It meant that I could take the tests I learned in the course and apply them to other psychology courses with confidence. When I read about a t-test being performed in a certain study, I actually knew what it meant and what it could and could not prove.

This is an excellent text to gain a strong base knowledge in statistics. It is very user-friendly, easy to read, with many examples. It also has a good number of practice problems at the back of each chapter, which were useful for extra homework practice.