Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice 3/e

Jacinta M. Gau, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida. She received her doctorate from Washington State University in 2008. Her primary areas of research are policing and criminal justice policy, and she has a strong quantitative background. Dr. Gau's work has appeared in journals such as Justice Quarterly, British Journal of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Crime & Delinquency, Criminology & Public Policy, Police Quarterly, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, and the Journal of Criminal Justice Education. In addition to Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice, she is author of Criminal Justice Policy: Origins and Effectiveness (Oxford University Press) and co-author of Key Ideas in Criminology and Criminal Justice (SAGE Publications). Additionally, she co-edits Race and Justice: An International Journal, published by SAGE.

Preface to the Third Edition Acknowledgments About the Author PART I DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS Chapter 1 Introduction to the Use of Statistics in Criminal Justice and Criminology Science: Basic Terms and Concepts Types of Scientific Research in Criminal Justice and Criminology Software Packages for Statistical Analysis Organization of the Book Review Problems Chapter 2 Types of Variables and Levels of Measurement Units of Analysis Independent Variables and Dependent Variables Relationships Between Variables: A Cautionary Note Levels of Measurement Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 3 Organizing, Displaying, and Presenting Data Data Distributions Graphs and Charts Grouped Data SPSS Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 4 Measures of Central Tendency The Mode The Median The Mean Using the Mean and Median to Determine Distribution Shape Deviation Scores and the Mean as the Midpoint of the Magnitudes SPSS Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 5 Measures of Dispersion The Variation Ratio The Range The Variance The Standard Deviation The Standard Deviation and the Normal Curve SPSS Chapter Summary Review Problems PART II PROBABILITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS Chapter 6 Probability Discrete Probability: The Binomial Probability Distribution Continuous Probability: The Standard Normal Curve Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 7 Population, Sample, and Sampling Distributions Empirical Distributions: Population and Sample Distributions Theoretical Distributions: Sampling Distributions Sample Size and the Sampling Distribution: The z and t Distributions Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 8 Point Estimates and Confidence Intervals The Level of Confidence: The Probability of Being Correct Confidence Intervals for Means With Large Samples Confidence Intervals for Means With Small Samples Confidence Intervals With Proportions and Percentages Chapter Summary Review Problems PART III HYPOTHESIS TESTING Chapter 9 Hypothesis Testing: A Conceptual Introduction Sample Statistics and Population Parameters: Sampling Error or True Difference? Null and Alternative Hypotheses Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 10 Hypothesis Testing With Two Categorical Variables: Chi-Square Conceptual Basis of the Chi-Square Test: Statistical Dependence and Independence The Chi-Square Test of Independence Measures of Association SPSS Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 11 Hypothesis Testing With Two Population Means or Proportions Two-Population Tests for Differences Between Means: t Tests Two-Population Tests for Differences Between Proportions SPSS Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 12 Hypothesis Testing With Three or More Population Means: Analysis of Variance ANOVA: Different Types of Variances When the Null Is Rejected: A Measure of Association and Post Hoc Tests SPSS Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 13 Hypothesis Testing With Two Continuous Variables: Correlation Beyond Statistical Significance: Sign, Magnitude, and Coefficient of Determination SPSS Chapter Summary Review Problems Chapter 14 Introduction to Regression Analysis One Independent Variable and One Dependent Variable: Bivariate Regression Adding More Independent Variables: Multiple Regression Ordinary Least Squares Regression in SPSS Alternatives to Ordinary Least Squares Regression Chapter Summary Review Problems Appendix A Review of Basic Mathematical Techniques Appendix B Standard Normal (z) Distribution Appendix C t Distribution Appendix D Chi-Square (c (2)) Distribution Appendix E F Distribution Glossary Answers to Learning Checks Answers to Review Problems References Index

"[Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice] is well-written and logically organized so that it is easy for instructors to adopt (without having to jump around in the book). It is a great textbook for undergrads who are being exposed to statistics in the field for the first time and for Master's students who need a better grasp of the fundamentals of statistics before taking more advanced courses (the SPSS exercises are especially useful for a graduate level students who are novice SPSS users)." -- Calli M. Cain "This is a thorough introductory text with a lot of good, interesting examples and descriptions of data sources." -- Kyleigh Clark "A must-have textbook for Instructors and students alike in the fields of Criminology and Criminal Justice. The book is user-friendly." -- Bonny Mhlanga "Great textbook that provides easy to read examples and comprehensive topics." -- Egbert Zavala "[Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice] does an excellent job with providing students a conceptual foundation to the application of statistical techniques. It provides just enough detail, does not shy away from the presentation of formulas, and emphasizes the application and interpretation of statistical analysis. It also uses illustrations in a judicious manner to present relevant concepts. The chapter review problems are an invaluable resource for students." -- Albert M. Kopak "...well-constructed and comprehensive of hypothesis testing and offers a good approach using a clear method of calculation." -- Elias Nader "A great introduction to statistics text that is well organized, easy to understand, and provides students with access to real-life data." -- Jane C. Daquin