1. Variables

Human differences fascinate us: different personalities, different moods, different behaviors. The challenge for researchers is to capture, describe and then interrelate these differences. We use variables to do this. In this module we will cover what variables are, different types of variables, and how to choose them.

2. Values and Summaries of Variables

In this module, the key concept concerns the values that a variable can take. Sometimes they are just labels for different categories or situations, sometimes they can be numbers for variables that can be quantified.

3. Relationships Between Variables

We are surrounded by variability, and we are always interested in it. Very often the variability that we see has a pattern to it. In this module we will Identify and describe relationships between variables in graphs and ask the right questions about relationships.

4. Sampling

In this module we will look at how we can use samples in statistics. The sample stands in for the population—in other words it represents it—and so we will learn how to choose a suitable sample that represents the whole population. This process of taking a sample, called sampling, is our contact with reality.

5. Inference and the Null Hypothesis

In this module we look at one very common form of inference that is designed specifically to provide an (uncertain) answer to the question of whether a relationship exists between two variables.

6. Doing Tests and Reporting Results

In this final module, we provide you with a guide to the practicalities of which statistics test you should use and how to report the result. The two types of variables involved are what determines the appropriate test to do.