Statistics Textbooks
I have been looking for a good statistics textbook to use in my statistics for behavioral sciences classes. I am really confused. Most of the statistics books are either not showing any calculations that can be done by hand at all, or they are demonstrating calculations with computational formulae.
My first question: Is there a statistics for behavioral sciences textbook that show a variety of hand calculation examples for each concept by using conceptual formulae that students can follow step by step? Those demonstrations should not be like OK now calculate this or that: They should be given in a context/ a research problem that students can relate to.
My second question: Isn’t the point of hand calculations to help students understand the conceptual backgrounds of those statistics that they calculate? Why do textbooks use computational formulae? If I am going to add and subtract numbers while making no sense of them, then why not just use statistical software programs?
Since you are not familiar with statistics, I suggest you start with a textbook of a lower grade. I fear that you are looking at advanced ones. Making no sense of numbers is a very strong statement that won't bring math any closer to you.
It sounds like I need to clarify my question. I did not mean that adding and subtracting numbers is no sense or numbers all together are no sense! What I mean is that computational calculations are not adding much to conceptual understanding of specific statistics. Furthermore, please do not make assumptions like that. I did not say anything about my familiarity with statistics.
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