Book excerpt: This new introductory statistics text from Dawn M. McBride, best-selling author of The Process of Research in Psychology, covers the background and process of statistical analysis, along with how to use essential tools for working with data from the field. Research studies are included throughout from both the perspective of a student conducting their own research study and of someone encountering research in their daily life. McBride helps readers gain the knowledge they need to become better consumers of research and statistics used in everyday decision-making and connects the process of research design with the tools employed in statistical analysis. Instructors and students alike will appreciate the extra opportunities for practice with the accompanying Lab Manual for Statistical Analysis, also written by McBride and her frequent collaborator, J. Cooper Cutting.