Statistics for behavioral sciences

Page 1 of 1 [ 2 posts ] 

fatdragon
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 21 Feb 2019
Gender: Male
Posts: 3
Location: Iowa

04 Jul 2019, 9:35 pm

More specifically Psychological Statistics. It is my very last class before I can get my BA diploma in Psychology.

I am having an impossible time trying to understand statistics, and already failed my first exam. The biggest problem I think is trying to relate the different figures; such as sigma, or x bar, and all the others; to math problems. I look at the letters and my brain goes blank as to what I am supposed to do, how I am supposed to solve the problems, I can't even figure out the why to get to the actual order of math. I had someone explain to me the other day, how to calculate the figures, but I keep forgetting what the steps are. If I only could figure out what I need to calculate and when and how, I think it would be easy. I can calculate figures all day just fine. I am very stressed out with this. I don't know how to keep my brain from freezing up when I am trying to do statistic problems. I also don't know entirely why I can't seem to get this subject. I can't even seem to focus my brain on the subject just long enough so I can learn it and pass a test.

Sorry about being all over the place with my thoughts while trying to explain my difficulties with statistics class.

Has anyone else had difficulties with this class, how did you get through the class? I am feeling like statistics is a great big gatekeeper standing in between me and my degree. I just want to get my degree and move on to other things I am really tired of college. :|

Any advice for figuring out statistics. Or maybe books to read, or websites with plain spelled out language explaining step by step the different processes?



traven
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 30 Sep 2013
Gender: Female
Posts: 13,073

05 Jul 2019, 12:24 am

fatdragon wrote:
More specifically Psychological Statistics. It is my very last class before I can get my BA diploma in Psychology.

I am having an impossible time trying to understand statistics, and already failed my first exam. The biggest problem I think is trying to relate the different figures; such as sigma, or x bar, and all the others; to math problems. I look at the letters and my brain goes blank as to what I am supposed to do, how I am supposed to solve the problems, I can't even figure out the why to get to the actual order of math. I had someone explain to me the other day, how to calculate the figures, but I keep forgetting what the steps are. If I only could figure out what I need to calculate and when and how, I think it would be easy. I can calculate figures all day just fine. I am very stressed out with this. I don't know how to keep my brain from freezing up when I am trying to do statistic problems. I also don't know entirely why I can't seem to get this subject. I can't even seem to focus my brain on the subject just long enough so I can learn it and pass a test.

Sorry about being all over the place with my thoughts while trying to explain my difficulties with statistics class.

Has anyone else had difficulties with this class, how did you get through the class? I am feeling like statistics is a great big gatekeeper standing in between me and my degree. I just want to get my degree and move on to other things I am really tired of college. :|

Any advice for figuring out statistics. Or maybe books to read, or websites with plain spelled out language explaining step by step the different processes?


one stat at a time, try to understand what is put against what

but also there's often flaky stats used by people who don't understand stats, in that case you would have a hard time figuring out what they say, and when that gets further confused by unnecessairy figures; such as sigma, or x bar
you're possibly in lalaland
one could start or return to try understanding simpler stats first, eg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT3LRjtSbJc