Introduction

Learning statistics is sexy. Hal Varian, Google’s chief economist, believes this. During an interview in McKinsey Quarterly, Varian stated, “I keep saying the sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians. People think I’m joking, but who would’ve guessed that computer engineers would’ve been the sexy job of the 1990s?” Varian is not the only person to express this sentiment either. Hans Rosling in the 2010 BBC documentary Joy of Stats1 referred to statistics as the “sexiest subject around”.

Whether you believe it is the sexiest subject or not, it is incontrovertible that the use of statistics and data are prevalent in today’s information age. Almost every person on earth will benefit from learning some foundational ideas of statistics. This is true because statistics forms the basis of our everyday world just as much as do science, technology, and politics. Google, Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, OKCupid, Match.com, Amazon, iTunes, and the Federal Government are just a handful of the companies and organizations that use statistics on a daily basis. Journalism, political science, biology, sociology, psychology, graphic design, economics, sports science, and dance are all disciplines that have made use of statistical methodology.


Course Material

The content in this textbook and in the lab manual will introduce you to the seminal ideas underlying the discipline of statistics. In addition, they have been designed with your learning in mind. For example, many of the class activities were developed using pedagogical principles, such as small group activities and discussion, that have been shown in research to improve student learning.

Course readings should be completed outside of class and are intended to help you learn and extend the ideas, skills, and concepts you learn in the classroom. The readings themselves are not all “traditional” readings in the sense of words written on the screen, but instead often link to video clips, blogs and other multimedia material.

PROTIP

Because the textbook includes background reading and information that will help you complete the activities from the Lab Manual, it is most helpful if you complete the textbook readings prior to coming to class.


TinkerPlots 3™ Software

Much of the material presented in the lab manual requires the use of TinkerPlots 3™. This software can be downloaded (for Mac or PC), and a license can be purchased from [http://www.tinkerplots.com/]. You will need to do two things to obtain the TinkerPlots 3 software: (1) download the software to your computer and install it, and (2) purchase a license for it.

FYI

TinkerPlots can only be installed on a Mac or Windows computer. You cannot install it on a ChromeBook!


  1. Download TinkerPlots 3 from the TinkerPlots website. Click the “Get TinkerPlots” link on the left-hand side of the website. Then agree to the license agreement, and select the link that corresponds to your computer’s operating system. Make sure you are clicking this link in the TinkerPlots 3.0 box and not the TinkerPlots 2.3 box!

  2. While that is downloading, purchase a license (further down the same page). You can do this with PayPal or a credit card. If you are using a credit card, note that the company that runs TinkerPlots is in Australia. Depending on your credit card, you may need to contact your financial institution to okay the international transaction.

After you have downloaded the TinkerPlots installer, double-click it to open the installer. Follow the instructions to get it installed on your computer. Once it is installed you can delete the installer. Finally open the TinkerPlots 3 application and enter your license number when prompted.


Lab Manual

You will work from the lab manual every day in class. As such, you will need to bring a copy of the lab manual (physical or electronic) with you to class every day. To download a PDF copy of the lab manual, click this link: https://osf.io/download/683741827891878874a4ddc1/.

TinkerPlots Data Sets

There are several data sets used in the lab manual, as well as in EPsy 3264 individual exams and group quizzes. You can download a ZIP file of these TinkerPlots data sets by clicking this link: https://osf.io/download/683745fa3b7d1cff5b85b5ac/.

Extracting a ZIP File: After you download the ZIP file (which will have the file extension .zip), you will need to extract (i.e., unzip) it. (A ZIP file is simply a file that has been compressed to reduce the size of the file.) How you extract or unzip the file depends on the type of computer you are using:

  • Windows: Right-click the ZIP file, Select Extract All..., Choose a location to extract the files (put it inside your Documents folder, or somewhere where you can easily access it), and click Extract. Once you have extracted the contents, you can delete the .zip file.
  • Mac: Double-click the ZIP file. This will extract the folder. Delete the .zip file, and then move the extracted folder to a location where you can easily access it (e.g., your Documents folder).


Participation in the Learning Process

The lab manual, instructors, and teaching assistants are all resources that are at your disposal to help you learn the material. In the end, however, you will have to do all of the hard work associated with actually learning that material. To successfully navigate this process, it is vital that you be an active participant in the learning process. Coming to class, participating in the activities and discussions, reading, completing the assignments, and asking questions are essential to successful learning.

Learning anything new takes time and effort and this is especially true of learning statistics, as you are not just learning a set of methods, but rather a disciplined way of thinking about the world. Changing your habits of mind will take continual practice. It will also take a great deal of patience and persistence.

As you engage in and use the skills, concepts and ideas introduced in the material, you will find yourself thinking about data and evidence in a different way. This may lead you to make different decisions or choices. But, even if this course does not change your world overnight, you will at the very least be able to critically think about inferences and conclusions drawn from data.


  1. Watch Joy of Stats online at http://www.gapminder.org/videos/the-joy-of-stats/↩︎