Stats Doesn't Have to be Scary!

Looking for a free, open-source, easy-to-use statistics program? If you haven't heard about JASP before, then I suggest you read my blog more often! 😂 I've already promoted the use of JASP in the classroom and in research, despite a few limitations such as the inability to edit graphs.

Check out the full playlist: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvPJKAgYsyoJxXZn-fTmqxF_GfOQ-htvJ

In trying to probe the limits of JASP, I uploaded a dataset with over 40,000 rows and 6 or 7 columns of data. It took a minute to upload such a large file, but there was no problem with running analyses even on a large dataset such as that one!

I think most behavioral researchers could spend their entire careers using this program, as long as they also have another program handy to generate publication-quality graphs. R is a popular solution for this (though you'll have to learn a bit of programming to use it).

Benjamin Nanes, MD, PhD, recommends additional options such as ImageJ or Inkscape. They're free, which is a big plus for impoverished graduate students and/or those who simply want to avoid the hassle of trying to get a license for SPSS or another such program on their personal computers.

Though I haven't tried these myself (yet!), I trust Dr. Nanes' recommendations and plan to try them out soon. Another option, also recommended by Dr. Nanes, is Inkscape: this could be used to add text (such as axis labels) to the graph generated by JASP and export it in a vector format that your journal will accept.

Everything I've said so far about JASP also goes for jamovi, another free and open-source program with a user-friendly interface. JASP started development before jamovi, so it's a little further along in its capabilities, but the original lead programmer for JASP is the lead programmer for jamovi, so there are many similarities between the programs--and I like both of them! jamovi does have a few features that JASP lacks, including the ability to see the R syntax for a given operation. This makes jamovi a great bridge for those who would like to learn R!

Since both JASP and jamovi are based on R but provide a far more visually appealing user interface, the analyses are trustworthy (though I've double-checked some analyses myself) and the programs themselves are easy to use.

In any case, if you're wondering why I like JASP so much, I made and edited a series of videos yesterday showing how to install JASP, upload files, and run most of the common tests in JASP 0.8.6.0. I've compiled these videos into a YouTube playlist; note that the instructions for jamovi are going to be quite similar.

screenshot of JASP 0.8.6.0 from my own computer

If you haven't already tried JASP or jamovi, what are you waiting for?

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Wondering about the social media usage of actual college students? 

Check out the results of this totally informal—but real—survey.

In case you missed it, I review some fantastic, easy-to-use, and FREE stats programs here.

For more help explaining statistical concepts and when to use them, 

please download my freely available PDF guide here!

A practical guide to Psych Stats

I've previously found the document "Reporting Statistics in Psychology" highly useful, and so I made a presentation for a stats course that I think is worth sharing! My own guide, a supplement of sorts, goes into a slightly broader variety of topics than the previous link, and mine also lists a 'bottom-line' approach that I think will be helpful to the people who just want to know what they should do!


Mine is called "A practical guide to Psych Stats," and I've made a freely available, freely downloadable PDF of that presentation here.

This is probably going to be useful to you if any of the following are true:

Early-career/inexperienced students:

• You've been unsure which test is appropriate for a certain dataset
• You've struggled to understand psych stats from a conceptual perspective
• You've struggled to write up statistical results in APA style
• You've wished there was an easier-to-use stats program
• You've wished there was a free stats program that you can run on your own computer

 More experienced/advanced students:

• You've thought that null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) procedures didn't make sense
• You think that the APA's reporting standards for statistical tests aren't stringent enough
• You're not sure how to interpret standardized measures of effect size
• You want to know a little bit more about Bayesian statistics
• You're not sure how to interpret your Bayesian statistics
• You're looking for a free/better/more user-friendly/more widely-compatible stats program to run on your own computer

Instructors:

• You're looking for a quick, easy, free, relatively brief resource to guide your students through the morass that is psych stats
• Bonus: links are embedded! :D
  However, for best effect, you must download the PDF, as the online preview version may randomly insert characters that will break the links :(

 Enjoy, and I hope you find this helpful!