Behavioral Research and Analysis : An Introduction to Statistics within the Context of Experimental Design, Fourth Edition

This text provides an overview of basic statistical methods used in behavioral research, experimental design, and report writing. It uniquely integrates statistics within the context of experimental design and simplifies the process of planning, conducting, analyzing, and preparing an experimental or research study report. Reflecting the changes of the APA guidebook and including SAS statistical software in the end-of-chapter exercises, this updated fourth edition presents new statistical procedures and new examples in sport science, public health, gerontology, and biomedicine.

Now in its fourth edition, Behavioral Research and Analysis: An Introduction to Statistics within the Context of Experimental Design presents an overview of statistical methods within the context of experimental design. It covers fundamental topics such as data collection, data analysis, interpretation of results, and communication of findings.

New in the Fourth Edition:

• Extensive improvements based on suggestions from those using this book in the classroom
• Statistical procedures that have been developed and validated since the previous edition
• Each chapter in the body now contains relevant key words, chapter summaries, key word definitions, and end of chapter exercises (with answers)
• Revisions to include recent changes in the APA Style Manual

When looking for a book for their own use, the authors found none that were totally suitable. They found books that either reviewed the basics of behavioral research and experimental design but provided only cursory coverage of statistical methods or they provided coverage of statistical methods with very little coverage of the research context within which these methods are used. No single resource provided coverage of methodology, statistics, and communication skills. In a classic example of necessity being the mother of invention, the authors created their own.

This text is ideal for a single course that reviews research methods, essential statistics through multi-factor analysis of variance, and thesis (or major project) preparation without discussion of derivation of equations, probability theory, or mathematic proofs. It focuses on essential information for getting a research project completed without prerequisite math or statistics training. It has been revised many times to help students at a variety of academic levels (exceptional high school students, undergraduate honors students, masters students, doctoral students, and post-doctoral fellows) across varied academic disciplines (e.g., human factors and ergonomics, behavioral and social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, exercise and sport sciences, business and management, industrial hygiene and safety science, health and medical sciences, and more).

Illustrating how to plan, prepare, conduct, and analyze an experimental or research report, the book emphasizes explaining statistical procedures and interpreting obtained results without discussing the derivation of equations or history of the method. Destined to spend more time on your desk than on the shelf, the book will become the single resource you reach for again and again when conducting scientific research and reporting it to the scientific community.

• Illustrates how to plan, conduct, analyze, and prepare an experimental or research report
• Includes new statistical procedures that have been developed and validated since the previous edition
• Incorporates SAS in the exercises at the end of each chapter
• Takes into account the changes in the APA guidebook
• Provides new examples in exercise and sport science, public health, gerontology, and biomedical areas