Large observational studies involving research questions that require the measurement of several features on each individual arise in many fields including the social and medical sciences. This book sets out both the general concepts and the more technical statistical issues involved in analysis and interpretation. Numerous illustrative examples are described in outline and four studies are discussed in some detail. The use of graphical representations of dependencies and independencies among the features under study is stressed, both to incorporate available knowledge at the planning stage of an analysis and to summarize aspects important for interpretation after detailed statistical analysis is complete. This book is aimed at research workers using statistical methods as well as statisticians involved in empirical research.

Large observational studies involving research questions that require the measurement of several features on each individual arise in many fields including the social and medical sciences. This book sets out both the general concepts and the more technical statistical issues involved in analysis and interpretation. Numerous illustrative examples are described in outline and four studies are discussed in some detail.

The use of graphical representations of dependencies and independencies among the features under study is stressed, both to incorporate available knowledge at the planning stage of an analysis and to summarize aspects important for interpretation after detailed statistical analysis is complete. This book is aimed at research workers using statistical methods as well as statisticians involved in empirical research.

Das Buch fuhrt schrittweise in die faszinierende Welt statistischer Analysen ein. Es erfordert weder Vorwissen in Statistik noch in einem bestimmten Fachgebiet, nur einige Grundkenntnisse in Mathematik und Neugier auf Daten, die vor allem beobachtete Merkmale von Personen sind. Das Buch enthalt viele Beispiele fur Fragen, die mit Hilfe von Daten beantwortet werden konnen und einfache Zahlenbeispiele fur verschiedene Arten von Analysen. Es ist daher geeignet fur Erstsemester und fur alle, die damit beginnen, sich an Studien zu beteiligen, die Datenanalysen erfordern.

Der Leser findet insbesondere Antworten auf folgende Fragen: Was ist typisch und wie variabel sind beobachtete Merkmale? Wie sieht man, ob und wie die beobachten Merkmale voneinander abhangen? Was sind statistische Modelle? Wozu braucht man sie? Wie interpretiert man beobachtete Ergebnisse? Was sind Wahrscheinlichkeiten und was sind Zufallssvariablen und ihre Verteilungen? Wie erganzen sie beobachtete Merkmale? In welchen Situationen und wie kann man beurteilen, ob ein beobachtetes Ergebnis von allgemeinerer Bedeutung ist?"