Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences

Though this book was published in 2005, and it’s now 2023, this is the book, among the more than one dozen stats book I’ve purchased, that my current instructor of a college statistics course bases her teaching upon. While she doesn’t utilize any text in her class, she explains concepts in a way that’s easier to understand, and I refer to this book for reinforcement.

I ordered this book and not only did it take close to two weeks to arrive, but I received the sixth edition instead of the 10th edition

Great book on stats! I never took a stats class before. This book is written well enough that I could have just read it and tested out of my class!

This book is absolutely excellent. I have looked through other stats books and lost interest immediately, but this book is written in such a way that it actually makes you want to learn the material. Rather than just telling you how to solve the problem, the authors inform you as to why learning it is necessary, and frequently give you real-life, interesting scenarios regarding how specific formulas are used by psychologists. Statistics, of course, becomes progressively more difficult over time, and you may need to seek outside help once you reach the last few chapters in particular. However, I believe that this book is the best of its kind, and it might be worth purchasing even if it is not your primary source for class, etc.

OK, here it is: I am a math phobic, have been all my life, as long as I can remember myself! So, when I started studying psychology as a second degree, I was kind of anxious about taking all kinds of statistics courses: it seems that statistics are a major part of any psychology degree, & so it was important for me to learn them well, from the beginning. Well, with this book (which I shopped around for, looking for the best introductory book on the subject) my math-phobia has not disappeared, but is slowly & surely getting smaller & smaller. This is a textbook that guides you, step by step, so you can understand all the basic concepts of statistics, without feeling you're making an effort. Lots of problem-solving & learning checks help, lots of revision at the end of each chapter...the book is organized in an excellent & thoughtful way, perfect for a student who will take the time sto study (it covers almost everything) but who wants to do it in an organized way.

I used an older copy of this book as an undergrad and was asked by a fellow doctoral student what I might recommend for use as a good stats book for the "stat phobic" ... Hands down, I say that THIS is the book to use. I've used thinner stats books that pretend to be cute. But if "cute" is not what you need, and you need to learn the stuff as well as reference the stuff. This is the book for you.I suppose I ought to update my copy ;-) mine is dog eared!Need stats? Buy this book to learn. Good stuff!

This is the first statistics textbook that I have actually understood and enjoyed, and I have read many of them. The authors take students through the material step by step and do not make assumptions about prior knowledge. The charts and examples are very helpful and clearly presented. As textbooks go, this is the best!