
Lies, Damned Lies, or Statistics: How to Tell the Truth with Statistics
Jonathan A. Poritz
Copyright Year: 2017
Publisher: Colorado State University Pueblo
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-ShareAlike
CC BY-SA
Reviews





This is a text book written in 2017 meant to cover the basic concepts of statistics for a one semester undergraduate course. The contents include: descriptive statistics (population, variables, samples, graphs), numerical descriptions (measures of... read more
This is a text book written in 2017 meant to cover the basic concepts of statistics for a one semester undergraduate course. The contents include: descriptive statistics (population, variables, samples, graphs), numerical descriptions (measures of center and dispersion), Bi-variate Statistics (scatterplots, correlation, independent and dependent variables), Linear regression, probability theory, and research methods (population parameter, causality, control group, blinking, etc.).
There is no discussion of concepts such as: levels of measurement, counting methods in probability, confidence interval for population proportion, type I and II mistakes, and evaluation sample size, and Chi square.
A few graphs on the text do not have proper vertical and horizontal labels (couple of examples are page 37 and 40)
There are places in the text that is not relevant to the topic of discussion. For instance, on page 54 where the author brings in an example of Quantum Mechanics to elaborate about the probability theory, the reader is left with no conclusion. There is no meaningful connection between the title of the book and materials presented in the text.
The materials presented in a reasonable clear way.
The material is presented appropriate and the text cover most of contents that is needed for an introductory statistics course.
Each topic build on previous topics with an exception of chapter 5 (bringing home the data) which seems belong more to the beginning sections of the book. Also, a change in font and size of letters could be helpful navigate smoothly between chapter examples and exercises.
The tile of the text does not reflect the content of the text
It seems to be fine
No grammatical errors are found.
The book is neither cultural-sensitive nor offensive.
Overall this is a good additional resource for someone who is interested in the subject. However, it might not be the best choice to be used in a college level statistics class.





As one would expect, the book provides a comprehensive coverage of statistics, ranging from measurement to probability theory to basic inferences to analysis . The topics are covered in a reasonable and fair manner. In addition, the author... read more
As one would expect, the book provides a comprehensive coverage of statistics, ranging from measurement to probability theory to basic inferences
to analysis . The topics are covered in a reasonable and fair manner. In addition, the author presents a user friendly discussion of topics that are often not covered in introductory-level statistics books but that need to be included, such as mediation and moderation or sampling
techniques. Furthermore, the volume discusses these topics as they relate to the methodologies that we use to study communication phenomena. I remember when I was taking graduate statistics I was always frustrated with the textbooks that were used in the courses I took because there always seem to be a disconnection between the discussion of statistics and how we actually use them in our day to-day lives of conducting research. Poritz has done a good job of providing timely examples of communication research to highlight the relevance of what the students are learning to their future careers.
The examples are accurate and accessible, easy to understand and clear.
A typical statistics textbook summarizes the current practices of a discipline.
This textbook has the potential to greatly advance how communication students use statistics. Many stats volumes act as if nothing has changed in statistics. This volume is cutting edge. For example, the author’s discussion of techniques for addressing various shortcomings of typically used statistical tests is very nice.
The sections breadth and depth are clear and measurable, very well laid out.
I find from the beginning to the end the material is very consistent and rich.
The breakdown is easy to find and locate topics that need to be readdressed.
The flow and organization is a strong suit of this author.
The interface is very readable and clear.
No grammatical errors are evident.
It 's hard to comment on this..
The volume would be appropriate for an entry-level college course on
statistics. The book would also be appropriate for undergraduate students working
on an honor’s thesis.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1. One-Variable Statistics: Basics
- Chapter 2. Bi-variate Statistics: Basics
- Chapter 3. Linear Regression
- Chapter 4. Probability Theory
- Chapter 5. Bringing Home the Data
- Chapter 6. Basic Inferences
Ancillary Material
About the Book
This is a first draft of a free (as in speech, not as in beer, [Sta02]) (although it is free as in beer as well) textbook for a one-semester, undergraduate statistics course. It was used for Math 156 at Colorado State University–Pueblo in the spring semester of 2017.
About the Contributors
Author
Jonathan A. Poritz