Statistics With Humans demystifies statistics for the social and behavioral sciences. Author Katie Jacobs combines relatable examples, a conversational approach, and vibrant visuals to win over even math-averse students. Guiding learners from foundational concepts to more complex analyses, the book includes SPSS instruction, making it an accessible and practical way to help students see the importance of statistics.
By day, Dr. Katie Jacobs works as a Professor of Psychological Science at the University of Central Missouri. By night she performs with her indie rock band, Ramona Clay. And somewhere in between that, romantic getaways with her hubby, and raising four humans, she wrote this textbook. She earned a PhD in School Psychology from the University of Missouri (Mizzou), and she didn't always love statistics- in fact, she wouldn't say "hate" because it's a strong word, but it was somewhere in that vicinity. When she started teaching statistics, she had to think critically about it, which led to her connecting the material to her own personal experiences rather than relying on worn-out statistics examples. Her approach is conversational, metaphorical, and humorous.
Preface About the Authors Part 1: Welcome to Statistics Boot Camp Chapter 1: May I Make an Introduction? To Statistics, That Is... A Brief Introduction to Statistics Statistics Is All About Data Descriptive and Inferential Statistics Sampling Measurement Research Methods Fundamentals Basic Research Designs SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Setting Up SPSS Data Files Summary Symbol Guide Terms to Know Putting in The Work Chapter 2: Measures of Central Tendency: Attraction An Introduction to Descriptive Statistics Mean Mode Median Calculating Measures of Central Tendency for Data on a Nominal Level of Measurement Calculating Measures of Central Tendency for Data on an Ordinal Level of Measurement Calculating Measures of Central Tendency for Data on a Scale With an Outlier in the Data Set SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Finding Measures of Central Tendency Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Chapter 3: Measures of Variability: Tree Branches Scattered Across the Sky A Brief Introduction to Measures of Variability Range Introduction to Mean Absolute Deviation, Variance, and Standard Deviation Mean Absolute Deviation The Population Variance Population Standard Deviation The Unbiased Estimate SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Finding Measures of Variability Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in The Work Chapter 4: Visual Displays and Measures of Distribution: Let's Lay It All Out A Brief Introduction to Measures of Distribution Ungrouped Frequency Distribution Tables Cumulative Frequency Distribution Tables Grouped Frequency Distribution Tables Histograms Common Distribution Shapes Skewness Kurtosis SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in The Work Chapter 5: The Standard Normal Distribution: Finding Order in the Chaos A Brief Introduction to Relative Frequency Histograms All About Density Curves Starring the Normal Curve Calculating Standardized Scores Using z-Scores to Identify Outliers Standard Normal Distribution Area Under the Curve SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Calculating z-Scores Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Chapter 6: Probability and Sampling: It's More Than Sports and Gambling An Introduction to Probability The Probability of The Union of Events The Probability of The Intersection of Events Sample Spaces The Probability of Binomial Experiments The Probability of Continuous Data Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Part 2: Welcome to Inferential Statistics Chapter 7: Hypothesis Testing and Statistical Significance: Putting It Altogether A Brief Introduction to the Hypothesis Testing Steps Step 1: Determine Which Statistical Analysis to Use Step 2: Write the Research and Null Hypotheses Step 3: Check the Assumptions Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic Step 5: Find the Critical Value(s) Step 6: Make a Decision Step 7: Conduct Relevant Follow-Up Analyses Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Chapter 8: One-Sample z-Test: Are NBA Players Taller Than the Average Male? Step 1: Decide Which Statistical Analysis to Use Step 2: Write the Research and Null Hypotheses Step 3: Check the Assumptions Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic Step 5: Find the Critical Value(s) Step 6: Make a Decision Step 7: Conduct Relevant Follow-Up Analyses Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Chapter 9: Independent Samples t-Test: Who Owns More Shoes? Step 1: Determine Which Statistical Analysis to Use Step 2: Write the Research and Null Hypotheses Step 3: Check the Assumptions Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic Step 5: Find the Critical Value(s) Step 6: Make a Decision Step 7: Conduct Relevant Follow-Up Analyses SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Running the Independent Samples t-Test Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Chapter 10: Dependent Samples t-Test: Does Dry January Actually Work? Step 1: Determine Which Statistical Analysis to Use Step 2: Write the Research and Null Hypotheses Step 3: Check the Assumptions Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic Step 5: Find the Critical Value(s) Step 6: Make a Decision Step 7: Conduct Relevant Follow-Up Analyses SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Running the Dependent Samples t-Test Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Chapter 11: One-Way ANOVA: Who is the Biggest Diva? Step 1: Determine Which Statistical Analysis to Use Step 2: Write the Research and Null Hypotheses Step 3: Check the Assumptions Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic Step 5: Find the Critical Values Step 6: Make a Decision Step 7: Conduct Relevant Follow-Up Analyses SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Running the One-Way ANOVA Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Chapter 12: The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation: Are TikTok and Reading Times Related? Step 1: Determine Which Statistical Analysis to Use Step 2: Write the Research and Null Hypotheses Step 3: Check the Assumptions Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic Step 5: Find the Critical Value(s) Step 6: Make a Decision Step 7: Conduct Relevant Follow-Up Analyses SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Running the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Chapter 13: Simple Linear Regression: Does Time on Dating Apps Predict Dating Bitterness? Introduction to Regression Step 1: Determine Which Statistical Analysis to Use Step 2: Write the Research and Null Hypotheses Step 3: Check the Assumptions Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic Step 5: Find the Critical Values Step 6: Make a Decision Step 7: Conduct Relevant Follow-Up Analyses SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Running Simple Linear Regression Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in the Work Part 3: Welcome to Nonparametric Analyses Chapter 14: Chi-square Goodness-of-Fit test: Are People Terrified by AI More Than You'd Expect? Introduction to Non-Parametric Analyses Step 1: Determine Which Statistical Analysis to Use Step 2: Write the Research and Null Hypotheses Step 3: Check the Assumptions Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic Step 5: Find the Critical Value SPSS Bonus Content Unlocked: Running the Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit Test Summary Symbol Guide Formulas Terms to Know Putting in The Work Appendix A: Standard Normal Distribution Table (i.e. z Critical Value Table) Appendix B: Student's t Distribution Table (t_CV Table) Appendix C: F Distribution Table (F_CV Table) Appendix D: Studentized Range q Table Appendix E: Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Critical Value Table (r_CV Table) Appendix F: Chi-Square Critical Value Table (X^2_CV Table)
An excellent text for any undergraduate research methods and statistics course in the social sciences. This text provides precise methodology, thorough analysis and concise explanation of both descriptive and inferential statistics in an easy to read format. -- John Gulledge Jacobs approaches statistics from a student-centered perspective. It is clear in the language used, examples given, and general approach that she is passionate about statistics and wants to share that with her students! -- Megan Raddatz Jacobs does a great job explaining statistics in an easy to understand conversational manner. I strongly recommend this book. -- Amanda Harmon An original text with detailed quality information, step-by-step procedures, and visually rich examples for statistics students! -- Nicole Hamilton This is an in-depth look at the assumptions, calculations, and examples of different statistical tests. After reading, students will gain insight into why and how to use these to explore various research questions. -- Sara L. Bagley The deep examples and explanations are great ways to increase the understanding of the material. -- George S. Robinson
