Empirical Direction in Design and Analysis

<p>The goal of Norman H. Anderson's new book is to help students develop skills of scientific inference. To accomplish this he organized the book around the Experimental Pyramid--six levels that represent a hierarchy of considerations in empirical investigation--conceptual framework phenomena behavior measurement design and statistical inference. To facilitate conceptual and empirical understanding Anderson de-emphasizes computational formulas and null hypothesis testing. Other features include:<br> *emphasis on visual inspection as a basic skill in experimental analysis to help students develop an intuitive appreciation of data patterns;<br> *exercises that emphasize development of conceptual and empirical application of methods of design and analysis and de-emphasize formulas and calculations; and<br> *heavier emphasis on confidence intervals than significance tests.<br><br> The book is intended for use in graduate-level experimental design/research methods or statistics courses in psychology education and other applied social sciences as well as a professional resource for active researchers. The first 12 chapters present the core concepts graduate students must understand. The next nine chapters serve as a reference handbook by focusing on specialized topics with a minimum of technicalities.</p>