Product Description

WINNER OF THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY BOOK AWARD 2007

`It is noteworthy that after I used some of the illustrations and mentioned the book in class, most students went and bought a copy. Their final papers were heavily "Field-referenced"! That is the best endorsement one can give to a text' - Journal of Advanced Nursing

`The wide range of statistical techniques covered combined with good accompanying background explanations, communicated in a relaxed, affable style, make this book a useful addition to the bookshelves of both practitioners and teachers of statistics alike in the social sciences' - Peter Watson, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge and Chair of ASSESS, Independent European Group of SPSS Users

`The Second Edition of Andy Field's Discovering Statistics Using SPSS is an excellent book and a valuable addition to the teaching of statistics in the behavioral sciences. The title of the book accurately reflects the approach taken. This is not simply a primer on how to use SPSS, but is a very good statistics text using SPSS as a vehicle for illustrating and expanding on the statistical content of the book. At the same time it also serves as a manual for SPSS, and has taught me things that I had not known about the software. One advantage of the text is that it is not tied specifically to the latest version of SPSS. Although the examples use version 12.0, there are many references to the difference the students will find if they are using an earlier version. A good example of how the text is structured can be seen in Chapters 8 and 9. Chapter 8 provides an introduction to the analysis of variance, and roughly the first 40 pages are devoted to statistical issues. Only after that introduction does the author move to a discussion of using SPSS to run the analyses. Chapter 9 deals with the analysis of covariance, and here the author moves almost immediately to SPSS printout, having laid most of the groundwork in the previous chapter. I find this flexible approach to the blending of content and software to be an effective way of teaching the material. It is impossible to review this book without commenting on Andy's particular style. I enjoyed it immensely and think that it would appeal to both students and their instructors. It is refreshing to see someone who doesn't take himself too seriously' - David C Howell, Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont

`The new edition of Field's textbook confirms its place as the best statistics text for undergraduate social science students. It provides support for those less confident about statistical analysis whilst having sufficient depth that it will still be valuable to more mathematically experienced people. There is a focus throughout on the practical aspects of data analysis and interpretation whilst at the same time emphasizing the importance of rigour and a good understating of theory… essential reading' - Dr Ian Walker, Department of Psychology, University of Bath

`Very useful, valuable and interesting. Summing up: Highly recommended' - CHOICE, Current Reviews for Academic Librarians

This new edition of Field's textbook provides students of statistical methods with everything they need to understand, use and report statistics - at every level.

Written in Andy Field's vivid and entertaining style, and furnished with playful examples from everyday student life (among other places), the book forms an accessible gateway into the often intimidating world of statistics and a unique opportunity for students to ground their knowledge of statistics through the use of SPSS. The text is fully compliant with the latest release of SPSS (version 13).

Key updates in the new edition:

- More coverage with completely new material on non-parametric statistics, loglinear analysis, effect sizes and how to report statistical analysis.

- Even more student-friendly features, including a glossary of key statistical terms and exercises at the end of chapters for students to work through, with datasets and answers to chapter exercises on the accompanying CD-ROM.

- A larger and more easy-to-reference format: notation in each section identifies the intended level of study while the new 2-colour text design enhances the features in the book and, together with the larger format, provides extra clarity throughout.

Andy Field is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Sussex where his success in making statistics accessible was recognized with a teaching award in 2001. He is also winner of the British Psychological Society Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Psychology. (20060201)

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79992 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 816 pages

Review
"Field makes concerted efforts to provide statistical tools in a very lighthearted fashion by throwing in humor, with great success...  Very useful, valuable, and interesting.  Highly recommended." (D.V. Chopra Choice Magazine 20060216)

"Aimed at a wide student audience, the objectives are to explain statistics theory and practice in a clear, engaging, user-friendly way, and the book does this well. For the purist, some of the phrasing might be loose and the theory light, but the book works well as an introductory text for its intended audience." (Andrew Millard, Research Officer of Greater Glasgo NHS 20070531)

"This text is notable for the breadth of statistics covered and for seamless meshing this content with SPSS." (Eileen Gigliotti )

About the Author
Andy Field is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Sussex where his success in making statistics accessible was recognized with a teaching award in 2001.

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Customer Reviews

brilliant
this book is a MUST for anyone wishing to 'fast-track' their knowledge of statistics. It teaches via concepts and application rather than bewildering formulae. After reading one page I guarantee you will have an 'aha' moment (as in "Aha, I've always wondered what that meant!"). Great for beginners or advanced strugglers (like me!).

I had to do this when I saw the two-star rating!
I had much difficulty with the statistics on my Psychology degree course, and even more difficulty when I was introduced to the SPSS program! That was until I bought this book, which not only made me understand SPSS but also the statistics that I had struggled with. Andy field was a lecturer at my university until quite recently and his refreshing style maintained our interest and made us laugh. I feel that this also comes across in his book. Buy this if you want to understand statistics and SPSS - it is excellent in both respects!

Two books in one
This book fills an important niche: most statistics books do not include all the terminology used in SPSS in the index, so it is often impossible to make informed choices about which of the many options to use without consulting a statistician. SPSS manuals, on the other hand, explain what features are available, but not the theory behind them.

This book explains complex statistical techniques in a way that anyone of modest intelligence can understand, whilst also being an excellent manual for SPSS. It also concentrates on the more complex statistical techniques, such as MANOVA and logistic regression, which many books still seem to regard as exotic irrelevances, but which are becoming the first-line tools of most researchers in the social and biomedical sciences.