MAC User’s Guide and Troubleshooting for BioStats Basics Online
Tech Support
If the information in this document does not help you, please email W. H.
Freeman Tech Support at techsupport@bfwpub.com, or call 1-800-936-6899.
How to use BioStats Basics Online
Double-click BioStats Basics to open. The Topics button will take you to the
Index card. Select a topic by clicking on it. To import data, select either Import
all or Import column. The data are in the data folder in the BioStats Basics
folder. When you import one column from a data set with several columns, you
will find the data on a sorting page and be asked to select the correct column;
complete instructions for choosing the desired column of data are found on this
card.
Controls
At the bottom of most cards is a set of buttons:
Topics takes you to the Index card; clicking on any Index entry takes you
to the first card on that topic.
Back returns you to the last card you used.
Previous takes you to the previous card in the stack.
Help explains how to save and import data.
Quit closes BioStats Basics Online.
Glossary takes you to a set of definition of key terms.
Questions takes you to a set of questions, both theoretical and practical.
Return from any Glossary or Question card takes you back to the card
from which you entered the Glossary or Questions stack.
Buttons on the test cards are self-explanatory.
Organization
BioStats Basics Online consists of text explanations, interactive demonstrations,
and cards with statistical tests or related techniques. The topics (also listed on the
Index card) are:
I. PROBABILITY
A. Overview
B. Chance and Random Distributions
Demo
C. Mean and Standard Deviation
Test
D. Normal and Skewed Distributions
Demo
E. Post Hoc Analysis
F. Tails
G. Probability and the Null Hypothesis
H. Variance and Independence
Demo
I. Sample Size and the Normal Curve
J. Probability and Sample Size
Demo
K. Choosing an Optimal Sample Size
Demo
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II. DISTRIBUTIONS AND TESTS
A. Perfect Normal Distributions
B. Testing for Normality
Test
C. The Standard Error
D. Comparing Perfect Normal Distributions
2 Tests
E. Binomial Distributions
Test
F. Poisson Distributions
Test
G. Imperfect Normal Distributions
H. Rescuing Nonnormal Distributions
I. Transforming Skewed Distributions
Demo 5 Tests
III. COMMON STATISTICAL TESTS
A. Overview of Tests
B. Confirming Distribution Similarity
Test
C. Testing Imperfect Normal distributions
3 Tests
D. Multiple Comparisons of Parametric Distributions 3 Tests
E. Categorical Distributions
2 Tests
F. Nonparametric Paired/Related Data
2 Tests
G. Nonparametric Unpaired/Unrelated Data
2 Tests
H. Retrospective and Trend Analysis
Demo
IV. OTHER COMPARISONS
A. Correlation Analysis
2 Tests
B. Regression Analysis
C. Path Analysis
D. Multiple Regression
Test
E. Circular Statistics
3 Tests
F. Alternatives: Monte Carlo Simulations
Demos (via link)
The pages of the text that correspond to each card are shown in the lower-righthand corner. The citation on test cards usually refers to the pages with the text
box describing how to use the software for the test; the reference on the cards
explaining the test is to the pages discussing the test in the text.
Troubleshooting
If you find some of the formulas or special symbols are incorrectly placed on
some cards, the likely reason is that you have the Font Smoothing option turned
on (under Fonts on the Appearance control panel, which can be reached from the
Apple icon on the menu bar); switch this silly option off, or set it to apply only to
font sizes larger than 12 points.
If you enter invalid data and the card displays an error message, go to another
card and then return to hide the error field and revise the data.
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