Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences

Description

Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, Global Edition – 5th Edition by Alan Agresti (published April 2018, 576 pages) is a highly accessible introduction to statistics tailored for students in social science disciplines. It assumes minimal prior mathematical background—just basic algebra—and emphasizes conceptual understanding over dense formulas while equipping learners to interpret real data effectively

This edition uniquely balances accessibility with rigor. You’ll find clear discussions of sampling, measurement, descriptive statistics, probability distributions, inference (estimation & hypothesis tests), regression models, ANOVA, and logistic modeling—all grounded in real-world social science examples. It also includes new sections on maximum likelihood estimation, bootstrap methods, robust regression, mixed models, multilevel modeling, and multiple imputation for missing data.

Software integration is another hallmark: the text shows output from R, Stata, SPSS, and SAS, and uses interactive applets to illustrate concepts like sampling distributions and confidence intervals. That encourages hands-on learning rather than rote memorization of formulas.

Ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in sociology, psychology, political science, anthropology, education, and communication, this edition works well both as a main course text and self-study companion.

Available for rent or purchase—offering flexible, cost‑effective access to high-quality statistical education.