Ep 24: Dr. Neil Salkind on Statistics Anxiety

On this episode, I am joined by Neil Salkind, who received his PhD from the University of Maryland in Human Development, and after teaching for 35 years at the University of Kansas, remains a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Research in Education. His early interests were in the area of children's cognitive development, and after research in the areas of cognitive style and (what was then known as) hyperactivity, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina's Bush Center for Child and Family Policy. His work then changed direction to a focus on child and family policy, specifically the impact of alternative forms of public support on various child and family outcomes. He has delivered more than 150 professional papers and presentations; written more than 100 trade and textbooks; and is the author of Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics (Sage), Theories of Human Development (Sage), and Exploring Research (Prentice Hall). He has edited several encyclopedias, including the Encyclopedia of Human Development, the Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics, and the recently published Encyclopedia of Research Design. He was also the editor of Child Development Abstracts and Bibliography for 13 years. Show Notes Segment 1: Statistics anxiety [00:00-10:36] In this first segment, Neil explains why statistics shouldn't cause researchers anxiety. Segment 2: Tips for researchers just starting out with statistics [10:37-20:48] In segment two, Neil shares some ideas for how beginning researchers can increase their statistics skills. Segment 3: Editing enclopedias [20:49-32:59] In segment three, Neil shares about his experiences as an editor of encyclopedias. Bonus Clip # 1: Writing about Research Methods [00:00-4:02] To share feedback about this podcast episode, ask questions that could be featured in a future episode, or to share research-related resources, contact the "Research in Action" podcast: Twitter: @RIA_podcast or #RIA_podcast Email: [email protected] Voicemail: 541-737-1111 If you listen to the podcast via iTunes, please consider leaving us a review.