Psychology Professor Publishes Approachable Statistics Textbook
Published: November 02, 2018 | Author: Savannah Byers | Read Time: 2 minutes
Southern Utah University Psychology Professor Lynn White recently published her first book, Statistics Straight Up: The Essential Guide to Understanding and Using Statistics. In addition to teaching a variety of psychology courses, White is also the director of the department’s Behavioral Neuroscience Lab.
Professor White previously self-published an earlier version of this book, originally titled Statistics for Psychology: A Survival Guide. Thanks to the encouragement of her students, she found publisher Linus Learning, and took about 18 months to write and revise before publishing at last.
“There wasn’t a text that simplified statistics, presented the concepts in a casual, conversational manner, and steered away from hand calculations,” said White. “I genuinely believe that this book uses a one of a kind approach to teaching statistics. My students helped shape the book and the system I’ve developed for teaching statistics. I cannot thank them enough.”
The book focuses on the importance of knowing how to use statistics as a tool for understanding data, rather than stressing hand calculations, theorems, and derivation formulas. White described how she wrote with a casual, storybook approach using characters like Winnie the Pooh and Tom and Jerry to illustrate concepts.
Currently, Statistics in Psychology is utilizing the textbook for the class (PSY 3010) and lab (PSY 3015). It is also a recommended text for Research Design (PSY 3410) and Independent Research I (PSY 4930).
“Professor White’s book has earnestly eased my transition into psychology stats,” said senior Sofie Scaletta who is majoring in psychology and sociology. “I was pretty nervous to take this course, but the witty and informative nature of her writing has really helped me understand that statistics can actually be fun, and much more easily applied to real-life situations than we think. I’ll definitely take it with me to grad school!”
Lynn White has a Ph.D. in Physiological and Comparative Psychology. She attended Bishop's University and McGill University, and has been teaching at SUU since Fall 1997.
SUU’s psychology program offers an academic major and minor. Students majoring in psychology may choose a research-focused course of study or the clinical/counseling focused option. Psychology professors are deeply involved in helping students choose courses that support their career goals and form strong mentoring relationships with students in classes. Learn more about SUU’s psychology program.
Tags: College of Humanities and Social Sciences Psychology
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