Multivariate Analysis Techniques in Social Science Research: From Problem to Analysis

Unlike most statistical texts, this book breathes real life into multivariate analysis. Starting with a range of actual research examples in the social sciences, it demonstrates how to make the most appropriate choice of technique. The examples are drawn from a broad spectrum of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, economics, political science and international comparative research. The first part, From Theory to Methodology, provides a clear and non-technical overview of the different types of research problems and the range of multivariate methods available to the researcher. The second part, From Methodology to Analysis, shows the detailed application of each chosen technique, again using representative data from particular published empirical studies. This enables the reader to see how the content of the research relates to the technique used. The discussion covers all the classical multivariate techniques. The step-by-step explanation works through each analysis both by calculation and by reproducing the computer output from SPSS for Windows. Also included is a useful summary of all the statistical concepts needed for dealing with the more advanced techniques. This book will appeal to all those students and researchers in the social sciences who use and need to understand how to select multivariate methods to analyse their research problems.