Quantitative research consists of testing and understanding relationships between variables. Researchers construct these variables as measureable expressions of social phenomena. Modern statistics pro

Discussion Week 1 Resources

Required Readings

Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2020). Social statistics for a diverse society (9th ed.). Sage Publications.

Chapter 1, “The What and the Why of Statistics” (pp. 1–25)

Wagner, III, W. E. (2020). Using IBM® SPSS® statistics for research methods and social science statistics (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Chapter 1, “Overview”

Dietz, T., & Kalof, L. (2009). Introduction to social statistics: The logic of statistical reasoning. West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

Introduction to Social Statistics: The Logic of Statistical Reasoning, 1st Edition by Dietz, T.; Kalof, L. Copyright 2009 by John Wiley & Sons - Books. Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons - Books via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Chapter 1, “An Introduction to Quantitative Analysis” (pp. 1–31)

Dietz, T., & Kalof, L. (2009). Introduction to social statistics: The logic of statistical reasoning. West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

Chapter 2, “Some Basic Concepts” (pp. 33–63)

Walden University Library. (n.d.). Course Guide and Assignment Help for RSCH 8210. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/rsch8210

For help with this week’s research, see this Course Guide and related weekly assignment resources.

Use this SPSS Resource page to guide you as you as you download, install and register your SPSS software.

Note: You will use this software throughout this course to perform various statistical calculations.

Datasets

Walden's SPSS website: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/SPSS

Your instructor will post the datasets for the course in the Doc Sharing section and in an Announcement. Your instructor may also recommend using a different dataset from the ones provided here

Required Media

Milgram, A. (2013). Why smart statistics are the key to fighting crime [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/anne_milgram_why_smart_statistics_are_the_key_to_fighting_crime

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 12 minutes.

In this media program, Anne Milgram discusses how smart statistics are used to fight crime. Focus on the statement “all models are wrong, but some are useful.”

Price, M. (2015). Statistician promotes social justice and human rights [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orW01w8a4zY

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.

In this media program, statistician Megan Price explains how she uses statistics to advance social justice issues and protect human rights.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2016e). Introduction and demonstration of SPSS [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

In this media program, Dr. Matt Jones introduces the software used for quantitative analysis, SPSS, and demonstrates its use.