Statistics Translated

“Most undergraduates—and many junior professors—dread introductory statistics courses. Statistics Translated, Second Edition, will relieve the concerns of both students and instructors. The conversational tone, frequent examples and applications, consistent presentation of a six-step model to drive decision making, and visual demonstrations make the book easy to read. It offers clear explanations of relatively advanced ideas and infuses ethics into statistical decision making, which will appeal to teachers. I also appreciate the author's emphasis, in interpreting data, on the size of the effect rather than the magnitude of the alpha level. This user-friendly text surely will be widely adopted in college classrooms and kept as a reference guide by professionals long after they complete their required statistics course.”

—Matthew K. Burns, PhD, Rose and Irving Fein Endowed Professor of Special Education, University of Florida; Assistant Director, University of Florida Literacy Institute


“Terrell's overall tone and approach display his genuine desire to help every reader learn about statistics. The text's step-by-step method enables students to think through the process of research so that they understand what tools are needed to answer questions of interest. Terrell uses practical examples throughout the book to help readers anchor ideas on prior knowledge. This is a fantastic introductory book for all students who feel that they struggle to understand statistics, and it is written in such a way that they will be empowered to learn.”

—Andrew H. Rose, PhD, Master of Social Work Program Director, Texas Tech University


“Terrell’s text is noteworthy for its cheerful, straightforward approach. The entire research process is presented in six steps, from identifying a research problem to testing the final hypothesis. The author integrates some simple data exploration procedures (such as graphical display of distributions) without entering into the sometimes tiresome arguments about the philosophy of data analysis. This calm approach is used throughout the volume. This is not to say the essentials are oversimplified—students are likely to complete the volume with an understanding of statistics as a descriptive procedure, and a basic competence with some tools to aid in evaluating propositions. Useful revisions in the second edition include more examples to illustrate the techniques, and coverage of multivariate ANOVA. If you want to bring students softly into appreciating—not fearing—statistics, this book is a good place to look.”

—Charles M. Super, PhD, Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development, University of Connecticut


“Statistics Translated is just that—statistics, translated into highly accessible language that glides students through the logic and common sense of statistics. With a mellifluous voice, Terrell brings all the essential statistical concepts to a level anyone can understand and appreciate (with no loss of meaning or utility). This is my book of choice for both introductory and intermediate statistics courses.”

—Todd D. Little, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership, College of Education, Texas Tech University


“Tremendously accessible and well written. This text is especially helpful for students who are intimidated by statistics—which includes most students in the behavioral sciences. The text clearly and simply explains the steps of quantitative research, from creating a research question to computing and interpreting statistical findings. Like the first edition, the second edition is an excellent text for psychology research methods or behavioral statistics courses, and is valuable for anyone who must use and interpret statistics.”

—Robin A. Barry, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming