I had the pleasure of being invited to 'pen' a review for the psychology text pictured below. You can read the short form of my review on the Sage Publications website here. Meanwhile, what follows is my long form~
An engaging text for psychology students learning foundational statistics. I felt that the authors related the material and presentation well to the novice statistics student.
The Contents (Brief) are not daunting, clearly setting out the ‘Four Big Pictures’. And the comprehensive content from levels of measurement and variance, to hypothesis testing and treatment effects, to PATH and Mediation, are practical for future consumers and producers of statistics.
Of great value to the beginner student, is the initial section answering: Why do we need statistics? An incredibly common question amongst psychology students who aim to be consumers, rather than producers of statistics. Developing student appreciation for the worth of statistics in their professional life, contributes toward more confident and competent graduates tackling real community issues.
Also, I firmly believe the combination of presentation elements will aid students in developing their statistical literacy. The fonts and icons remind me of a study bullet-journal, and I think this will encourage students to be more reflective in their statistics learning.
And the use of only three colours for figures, tables and headings made the text easy to navigate, as the text felt ‘uncluttered’.
It is helpful too, to have Chapter graphs at the beginning to indicate level of theory and application for the following pages.
And I love it when a textbook includes a companion website for students, especially when it contains practice questions and answers, videos, and relevant articles. It encourages curiosity and a sense of discovery, critical traits in the social sciences.
The significance of Statistics for Psychology: A beginner’s guide is that it provides an easy-to-read style of material structured to build on previous knowledge. The student is guided through the conceptual complexities that arise with the study of statistics, as it challenges their day-to-day way of thinking.
Given the relevancy of the textbook, by including new statistics as well as null hypothesis significance tests, I expect it to have longevity in the university classroom. I highly recommend this text for introductory psychology statistics classes.
