Analysis of Multivariate Social Science Data
After emphasizing the summarization of data in the first several chapters, the authors focus on regression analysis. This chapter provides a link between the two halves of the book, signaling the move from descriptive to inferential methods and from interdependence to dependence. The remainder of the text deals with model-based methods that primarily make inferences about processes that generate data.
Relying heavily on numerical examples, the authors provide insight into the purpose and working of the methods as well as the interpretation of data. Many of the same examples are used throughout to illustrate connections between the methods. In most chapters, the authors present suggestions for further work that go beyond conventional exercises, encouraging readers to explore new ground in social science research.
Requiring minimal mathematical and statistical knowledge, this book shows how various multivariate methods reveal different aspects of data and thus help answer substantive research questions.
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"... Written by some of the leaders in the field, the second edition expands the horizon of the first edition by three new chapters. The new edition enabled the authors to deal with two equally important types of methods--those for data summarization and those that are model based. ... The book should provide a superb introduction to these methods for graduate students who are without substantial statistical or mathematical training ... Good examples abound [and] ... so do worked-out applications. ... I also like the authors' effort to compare related methods across the chapters ... The website is a treasure trove ... the book is essential to read ... ."
--Tim Futing Liao, University of Illinois, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A, 2010
"The strength of this book lies in the right mixture of simple mathematical expressions, comprehensive non-mathematical descriptions of various multivariate approaches, numerous interesting real-life data examples, and detailed interpretation of the results. ... The comprehensive web resource the authors provide is also commendable. ... Overall, this is an outstanding book on multivariate statistics in the field of social sciences, with a strong focus on categorical data. It can be recommended without reservations for quantitative graduate courses in psychology, sociology, education, and related areas. ..."
--Journal of Statistical Software, February 2009
"...I am pleased that the authors emphasise that the book is in no sense a cookbook. ... the presentation is well matched to its intended audience, relying on only the minimal necessary mathematics and driving the development with examples, figures, and verbal descriptions. ...This is the sort of book from which I would have liked to have learnt multivariate statistics."
--International Statistical Review, 2008
