Introduction to Statistics in the United Kingdom - Book Report/Review Example

Introduction to Statistics in the United Kingdom Purpose of the Book The book has the purpose fo providing learners, among other practitioners, with the statistical knowledge they need to have when conducting different statistical research and analysis. The author defines statistics as one of the most fundamental as well as the basic knowledge that students in the higher education have to get well equipped with. Coolidge (2013) addresses the concepts of statistics, by use of the variables, among another day to day activities and changes that we experience in our lives though very few of us note them. This book looks at the detailed definition and the different roles that are played by statisticians in the research field. It enlightens its readers through the various concepts such as descriptive statistics, and in this case it gives the understanding of how different numerical figures get distributed. It offers detailed explanations of descriptive and inferential statistics, among other key lessons concerning the study and understanding of Special Packages for Social Scientists (SPSS). Also, the author has come out clearly in explaining to students the statistical parameters and the standard scores including the z- distribution and the hypothesis testing. Author’s Credentials Frederick L. Coolidge is a distinguished scholar who made many contributions to the field of academics. He earned his BA, MA and Philosophy of Doctorate in Psychology at the University of Florida. He has undergone a full two-year completion of a postdoctoral fellowship in the field of clinical neuropsychology in one of the institutions of Florida; Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville (Coolidge, 2013). He has received three awards on Fulbright Fellowships to India in the year 1987, 1992 and the last one was in 2002. At the University of Colorado, he got three awards in the line of teaching, the year 1984, 1987 and later in 1992, alongside the lifetime title. This lifetime titled entails getting the award as the Presidential Teaching Scholar of the University of Colorado. In the year 2005 and 2007 he received two faculty excellent performance in research awards, and this too was at the University of Colorado. Behavior genetics, cognitive archeology as well as life span personality with assessments in neuropsychology are some of the fields where Professor Coolidge conducts some of his research studies. Among the publications made by Professor Coolidge include Behavior Genetics, Developmental Neuropsychology alongside some journals including Personality Disorders, Clinical Geropsychology, Anthropological Research among others. To find some of his articles, you can follow the link www.uccs.edu/faculty/fcoolidg. Other publications made by Professor Coolidge include; How to Think Like a Neanderthal, The Rise of Homo Sapiens and Personality Disorders and Older Adults, among others. Elaboration of the Main Points of the Book 1- The Purposes of Statistics According to the author there are two main purpose of studying statistics, and they include; understanding the world and making an argument or formulating the best decisions in life. a) - Understanding the World In the book, the author gives the definition of the term set, a set is a name given to a group of numbers in the mathematics field. In statistics a different name is given to the panel of figures, they get referred to as data, when they are many, and a single number is called datum. These numerical figures may stand for scores gotten in a test, and can even represent the number of individuals who are present in a particular event, for example in a church or class attendance. Statistics, therefore, plays a significant role of taking all this numbers, also referred to as data, and conduct presentation in such a manner that is more efficient. In some of the daily life activities, we see statistics showing some of this numbers in a way that is more comprehensible, both to those who have studied statistics and those who haven’t. Through statistics, one can differentiate the superiority levels of different products (Zhuang, 2013). In the current world, there are a number of individuals who take advantage of their colleagues’ ignorance by convincing them a particular product works yet in real sense it doesn’t. b) - Making an Argument or a Decision To make one’s opinion stand strong and emerge as a valid one, individuals use statistics supporting their respective views. In the book, the author uses an example of lung cancer, and its emergence discussions, as an example of the different opinions that some people come up with. He says that individuals who get concerned with limiting the risks of lung cancer make use of statistics in arguing that cigarette smoking increases the probability of developing cancerous cells. In the motor vehicle industry, car and other automobiles manufacturers use statistics in expressing the reliability as well as the validity of their automobiles. For instance, a Range Rover manufacturing company will provide the list of their previous products, show where they are currently used, their mileages, in the process of, marketing their products. Therefore, statistics is broadly used in selling a product, advancing an argument, drumming up support for an opinion, during elections, upgrading the conditions in the community, among others. The science of statistics will always emerge as a societal change component since an excellent presentation of statistical arguments can have high levels of reliability than an individual’s primary unsupported views. 2- The Essential Questions of Any Surveyor Study a) - Who Got Surveyed or Studied? People believe they can make use of a particular product or rather gain some benefits from new treatments or methodologies. In many cases, studies tend to get gender biased and use men in sideline women. Also, some researchers collect their data from adults alone, sidelining children. For these two scenarios, validity will be lacking if for the first case generalization are made for all men and women yet women never got approached by the researchers. Same will imply for the second case where only adults are conducted for data collection while children sidelined. Another good example is data collection by use of telephone, at a particular time, say 11 a.m. This particular is considered non-random because not everyone owns a telephone, and not everyone will get available to answer the call if the calls get made 11 a.m. b) – What were the Reasons behind People Participating in the Study? According to the author, during the study, it is necessary to know whether the participants volunteered or got paid. Just in case they were paid; we need to know how much they got paid since by receiving huge payments they may end up skewing the outcomes in favor of the experimenter’s hypothesis. Even if the participants didn’t receive any payments, they have the tendency of unconsciously providing information that supports the experimenter. The reason is that human beings are always fond of others, hence the willingness to help them or would get embarrassed if they fail in our presence. c) - Was there a Control Group, if yes, did they receive a Placebo? Placebo effect is where the researchers tend to change so badly despite the functionality of the product in question towards the levels of expectation (Holcomb, John & Ruffer, 2000). These particular effects have gotten evident in so many parts of the world, and they have gotten proved to be real. The scientific methodologies necessitate for the existence of control units whenever tests get made on medicines, products among other psychotherapy types. The author believes that discovered drugs or methods need to exhibit superiority towards boosting our frequent usage in the control group that receives the placebo. d) - What is the number of People Who Participated in the Study? In research, there are no set rules on the limits of the number of participants in a given study (Chan, Cheng, & Pritchard, 2000). Despite this fact, the extent of individuals who get involved in the research can lead to profound effects when drawing conclusions and recommendations. The size of the sample will always get determined by the size of the population under study. The author gives an example of the study for the taxpaying U.S citizens; then the sample size should in hundred gets considers as too small. This is because there are over hundred million taxpayers, hence for this case; a sample size close to a million should get used. e) - How Were the Questions Worded to the Participants in the Study? To illustrate this, the author uses an example where one in four university-age women report as getting raped. The question is how the experiment defined the word rape. In this case, the research may have asked the college students if they have ever had sexual intercourse without their wish, by either getting drugged or drunk. The author believes that we may argue that this particular definition of “rape” gets too broad. It is, therefore, true that due to their religious believes they may get ambivalent towards sex, perhaps fornication as opposed to the Bible. Therefore, it will get right to say that experimenter defended her broad understanding of rape by stating that rape has various definitions. Therefore, the issue of clarity in an experiment in the process of taking measurements is how the experimenter has come out clearly in defining the problem under study. References Chan, L. K., Cheng, S. W., & Pritchard, Z. (2000). A new way to teach university introductory statistics courses. Quality Progress,33(9), 59-62. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214770927?accountid=45049 Coolidge, F.L. (2013). Statistics: A Gentle Introduction. United Kingdom, London: Sage Publications, Inc. Holcomb,John P.,,Jr, & Ruffer, R. L. (2000). Using a term-long project sequence in introductory statistics. The American Statistician, 54(1), 49-53. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/228478071?accountid=45049 Zhuang, H. (2013). The application of documented problem solving in college introductory statistics courses. American Journal of Business Education (Online), 6(6), 609. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1458944600?accountid=45049 Read More