Statistics: Concepts and Controversies

by David S. Moore, William I. Notz

This is a statistics book for readers interested in ideas rather than technique. It presents, in a non-technical form, the most important statistical concepts as they are applied in public policy, the human sciences, and everyday life. It is designed to give non-mathematical readers critical insight into the uses and misuses of numbers and quantitative arguments, which are increasingly prevalent in fields ranging from sociology to medicine to literary analysis. The goal is not to train statisticians, but to present statistics as a useful tool for clear thinking in personal and professional life. The third edition has been revised and updated, placing more emphasis on giving students hands-on experience with data. Chapters 4 and 5 have been reorganized into a more logical arrangement. Many new examples and exercises have been added.

Genres: Textbooks, Mathematics, Nonfiction, Education

607 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David S. Moore is (retired) Shanti S. Gupta Distinguished Emeritus Professor of statistics at Purdue University (Lafayette, IN).

Reviews

[Jimyanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish admirably; it sets out the basic concepts of statistics with as little reliance on Math as possible, to give students who are not Math-oriented an idea of the subject.

If you are Math-oriented, and already know a bit about statistics, you will not learn much here. But that is not the fault of the book; it is not intended to teach someone with a grounding in the subject, any more than it is a flaw of an intro Biology textbook that it doesn't teach Organic Chemistry.

I have a couple of minor quibbles about this book, but they're really too minor to mention, and are certainly too minor to dock it a star for.

[Edie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

STAT 1350 is a college course. Now I know that I'm too old. What happened to dozens of problems to work? At least my kids like it.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can you say about this "book". It leads to a website a student has access to for one semester. You learn about Stats. It does a good job of explaining concepts. You take deep breaths for patience, look away from the sunny afternoon outside, and step through the concepts. And then you get an 'A' in the class.

[Samantha]

Great intro to statistics for everyday purposes such as understanding health research or evaluating whether they're being used well in the news.