Exploring Statistics: Tales of Distributions is a textbook for a one-term statistics course in the social or behavioral sciences, education, or an allied health/nursing field. Its focus is conceptualization, understanding, and interpretation, rather than computation (though there is enough computation to help students understand how certain statistics work). While it includes elements that prepare students for additional statistics courses, it is designed to be comprehensible and complete for students who take only one statistics course. For example, basic research design is introduced so students can write meaningful interpretations of their analyses. In many places, the student is invited to stop and think or do a thought exercise. Some problems ask the student to decide which statistical technique is appropriate. In sum, this book’s approach is in tune with instructors who emphasize critical thinking in their course.

This textbook has been remarkably successful for more than 40 years. Students, professors, and reviewers have praised it. A common refrain is that the book has a conversational, narrative style that is engaging, especially for a statistics text, and that is still true for the 13th edition.

What sets Exploring Statistics: Tales of Distributions apart from other textbooks?

We believe that the clear, accessible tone of the book is one of its biggest strengths. To us, accessibility is about more than just the ability to understand the content, though, which is why we are committed to offering a high-quality textbook for a low prices ($50 print, $30 ebook with permanent access). By self-publishing this book, we are able to better manage our costs and pass those savings along to students. In addition, we are committed to serving our adopters by providing high-quality instructor resources, like full slide decks and an editable jamovi workbook. If ever you need additional support as an adopter of our book, send an email to info@outcroppublishers.com and one of the authors will get back to you quickly.

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Other features we’ve been careful to keep and enhance that distinguish this book from others include the following:

• Data sets are approached with an attitude of exploration.

• Changes in statistical practice over the years are emphasized, especially the recent emphasis on effect sizes and confidence intervals.

• Criticism of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) is explained.

• Examples and problems represent a variety of disciplines and everyday life.

• Many problems are based on actual studies rather than fabricated scenarios.

• Interpretation is emphasized throughout.

• Problems are interspersed within a chapter, not grouped at the end.

• Answers to all problems are included.

• Answers are comprehensively explained—over 50 pages of detail.

• A final chapter, Choosing Tests and Writing Interpretations, serves as a review with a host of comprehensive questions.

• Effect size indices are treated as important descriptive statistics.

• Important words and phrases are defined in the margin when they first occur.

• Objectives, which open each chapter, serve first for orientation and later as review items.

• Key Terms are identified for each chapter.

• On the Horizons alert students to concepts that come up again.

• Tripping Hazards tell ways to detect mistakes or prevent them.

• Transition Passages alert students to a change in focus in chapters that follow.

• Comprehensive Problems, now called Summit Problems, encompass all (or most) of the techniques in a chapter.

• What Path Should You Take? problems require choices from among techniques in several chapters.

• A comprehensive, interactive, online study guide.

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