Book excerpt: Sherri Jackson's straightforward, conversational introduction to statistics presents just what its title promises -- a plain and simple overview of statistics that is clear, concise, and sparing in its use of jargon. Ideal for behavioral sciences majors, STATISTICS PLAIN AND SIMPLE, Fourth Edition, is designed to build students' confidence in understanding, calculating, and interpreting statistics. It instills a strong awareness of the interaction between statistical methods and research methods. It also helps students develop a solid working knowledge of basic statistical cautions in research design, a strong understanding of the concept of significance, and the critical thinking skills necessary to apply these ideas. A modular format presents the material in brief segments that make concepts manageable. Jackson shows why each statistical technique is necessary before explaining it, and skillfully uses narrative to connect one module to the next. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.