American Statistical Association New York City Metropolitan Area Chapter Chapter Colloquium June 18, 2012

This talk covers some of the widely used statistical methods in behavioral research. The focus is on practical analytic skills. The first half of the talk covers more basic skills, e.g., how to present subtle effects when sample size is limited, how to calculate statistical power by simulation, and how to use R to teach statistics to visual learners. The second half of the talk covers more sophisticated methods such as Item Response Modeling with testlets and Hierarchical Linear Modeling. Enough details are covered so that you can immediately apply these methods in your own research.

The talk is prepared for individuals who already know R basics but would like to learn more sophisticated techniques. It is based on my book of the same title (with Jonathan Baron at U Penn).

The overall goal is to share with you a different way of thinking about statistics and data analysis in behavioral research.