Catatan

Many behavioural and social science students (and researchers for that matter)
despise statistics. Most of us have a non-mathematical background, which makes
understanding complex statistical equations very difficult. Nevertheless, the evil
goat-warriors of Satan force our non-mathematical brains to apply themselves to
what is the very complex task of becoming a statistics expert. The end result, as
you might expect, can be quite messy. The one weapon that we have is the
computer, which allows us to neatly circumvent the considerable disability of
not understanding mathematics. Computer programs such as IBM SPSS
Statistics, SAS, R, JASP and the like provide an opportunity to teach statistics at
a conceptual level without getting too bogged down in equations. The computer
to a goat-warrior of Satan is like catnip to a cat: it makes them rub their heads
along the ground and purr and dribble ceaselessly. The only downside of the
computer is that it makes it really easy to make a complete idiot of yourself if
you don’t understand what you’re doing. Using a computer without any
statistical knowledge at all can be a dangerous thing. Hence this book.
My first aim is to strike a balance between theory and practice: I want to use the
computer as a tool for teaching statistical concepts in the hope that you will gain
a better understanding of both theory and practice. If you want theory and you
like equations then there are certainly more technical books. However, if you
want a stats book that also discusses digital rectal stimulation, then you have just
spent your money wisely.