Statistics for the Terrified

by John H. Kranzler, Janet Moursund

Written in a personal and informal style, this book helps readers make the leap from apprehension to comprehension. Statistics For The Terrified 4/e teaches students how to use SPSS, one of the most widely used statistical software packages. This book successfully encourages readers grasp the meaning of basic statistical concepts and to solve statistical problems through a unique blend of humor, logic, and common sense. Examples problems are provided using SPSS for every key concept along with step-by-step assistance, without the need for lengthy theoretical discussions.

Genres: Nonfiction, School, Reference, Textbooks, Business

206 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jennifer Triplett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this probably 5 times now, I assign it when I teach stats because its such a good step by step intro to statistics that helps make it less intimidating. I may be teaching stats again soon, so I wanted to give it another once over. Other than the dad jokes, it's a great intro to stats book.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concepts are made so approachable! You will absolutely master statistics with this (while laughing along the way)

[Ana Gvozdenović · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me 6 months to finish this lol, but it really was cool

[Glenn Hammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good review of math.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book saved my GPA! And yes, it IS for people who need to overcome their fear of math.

[Fire Kovarovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am adding this book so everybody knows that I actually do some work!!! As far as stats books go, this one was fairly readable - but it was a little bit too touchy-feely/self-helpy. Sections on how to overcome "math fear" won't wash well with intelligent university students. Nobody can psych themselves out of a lack of understanding of a certain subject because a few paragraphs of a pep talk were thrown into the mix. Some might even find that patronising, offensive or a simple turn-off insofar as reading the rest of the book goes...

That being said, the book covered the basics and was, as I said, readable. At times it was too chatty, but the foundations were there... I do have concerns though, that some of the examples used to illustrate the various tests may be inappropriate. My partner, who is a statistician par excellence, picked up the book and skimmed the chapter I was reading only to immediately see that there was a flaw in an example that negated the very use of the analysis being described. How many more such mistakes lurk within the pages?

This book will be useful for teaching, but pick the chapters/sections carefully! It's friendly tone and cute comics/illustrations won't make up for errors and may in fact inspire students to take it less seriously.

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read about half of this. It got too technical for me. I like the concepts, but the calculations challenge me too much. (English major who took math 30 years ago.) It's a good tool. I would need to take a math review class before being able to perform the calculations, but I appreciated learning something by reading the first few chapters.