Main description:

- The only textbook that combines an introduction to both the technical operations and conceptual premises of biostatistics
- Details the conceptual consequences of the mathematical premises of biostatistics that distort our understanding of holistic and contextual nature of health and medicine
- Emphasizes the qualitative and subjective decisions that precede any quantitative analysis
- The conceptual implications of biostatistical tools and techniques-such as contriving to fit objects to tools rather than fitting tools to objects-apply equally to statistics in general
- Presents univariate, bivariate, and regression analysis through a single common scenario to facilitate student comprehension
- Organizes biostatistical tools and techniques into nine configurations that help frame use and rationale of statistical tests and measures
- Walks the reader through the technical steps for the examples associated with the nine configurations

Contents:

1. Just What Is an Introduction and Conceptual Critique?

2. Regression Analysis: Concepts and Groundwork

3. Study Designs and Sampling: A Beginning or the End?

4. Configurations for Biostatistical Analysis - Conceptual Interpretations

5. Configurations for Biostatistical Analysis - Technical Steps (1)

6. Configurations for Biostatistical Analysis - Technical Steps (2)

7. Configurations for Biostatistical Analysis - Technical Steps (3)

8. Optimal Sample Size-Or Benign Manipulation, the Good Kind

9. Probability: From Chaos to Nice, Orderly Distributions

10. And Finally... We Can Now Make Sense of Descriptive Statistics

Appendices

Index