Research Books

I have taught a psychological statistics course seven times since 1995 with this book: five times with the Fifth Edition (blue cover), and twice with the Eighth Edition (red cover). I selected it over many other competing editions because of the clarity and informality of Spatz' writing style.Students enter the course feeling high anxiety, but most of them enjoy the book and keep it rather than reselling it. The book has a good balance between the technical details and historical anecdotes. A study guide is available, but not needed.
As with other college textbooks, the publisher puts out new editions every three years, but the changes between editions are very minimal.. As a professor, I would be unable to justify rolling into a next edition; I change editions on the stat book about once every ten year.
CRITICISMS OF THE BOOK: (1) The author supplies an Inbstructor's Test Bank, but the multiple-choice questions in it are terrible. Most of the m-c items have combination answers ("Both A and B" or "All of the above." The combination answers bring in all the shortcomings of true-false questions. The majority of the m-c items are completely unusable ---- I write my own, instead. Am amazed that the m-c items, with all their deficiencies, are rolled forward into each new edition, unchanged. (2) A second criticism is that the homework problems at the end of each chapter are very time-consuuming to complete . For many chapters, it took me 4-6 hours to complete the exerecises; and I am the professor who already _knows_ the subject! The homework exercises take so long to do, not because they teach statistics so well, but rather because they include very large data-sets to which the statistical formulas must be applied. My philosophy is to keep data sets BRIEF, on the theory that, if the student can apply the formulas correctly to ten data-points, they can also do it to a larger data-set. On the first day of class, I now give students a two-page handout listing specific homework exercises, chapter-by-chapter, that can be skipped. This minimizes student's agony. (3) I skip coverage of two of the three chapters on ANOVA - analysis of variance. I do teach the basic one-way ANOVA chapter, but not factorial ANOVA or the within-subjects ANOVA . Skipping two chapters is justified because at UNM, basic statistics is merely a three-credit class, while at many other colleges four credits are earned. Still, despite these three shortcomings, I will continue to use Spatz 8/e as my textbook. Prof. Stephen Buggie, Psycghology, Univ. of New Mexico, Gallup NM 87301

This book proved a major turning point for me as an undergrad who didn't know what she wanted to be when she grew up! This book was inspiring and informative... even funny... statistics became tangible, interesting and fun. The author does an amazing job. I still use this book professionally when I need to brush up on stats analysis.

Tales of Distribution is fun, well written and easy to read. Tales of Distribution is a college textbook worth reading if you need to put statistics at your command! Spats'z style is helpful to the reader and down to earth. This is a heavy-duty treatment of the topic; however, interesting examples of how to use statistics in day-to-day life makes this topic come alive. If you read this book, you will never be intimidated by statistics in your lifetime.

The author's discussion of "Rationale of ANOVA" and "Hypothesis Testing" is excellent. Frequent use of algebraic explanation is joined with graphic explanations to help the reader visualize the author's points. "Work Problems" at the end of each chapter show imagination and creativity. The author seems to have a sincere desire to help the reader at every turn along their journey of statistical discovery. The author also seems to have privilege insight into the reader's mind. He anticipates what the reader is thinking, and serves up a helping of practical advice at the exact perfect moment.

As a market-research practitioner, I found the book to be very refreshing and enjoyable to read. I read it on my summer vacation! My daughter purchased the book as the required text for her statistics class at UCLA. At the end of her class she had planned to sell the book back to the UCLA bookstore. After looking at the book for 60 seconds, I said to her "No, don't sell this book. This is great book. Keep it." To which she replied; "But Dad, I need the money. You can keep it if you pay me for it." To which I replied; "Haven't I paid for this book once already? If I pay you for it now, that would be the second time I bought the same book."

The field of animal behavior has continued to develop. The time appears to be gone when one person can write a book that encompasses the discipline. Robert Hinde did so in his 1970 work, Animal Behaviour. However, this work is an edited volume, with a variety of experts delving in detail into various key issues related to animal behavior. This volume wisely uses Niko Tinbergen's famous "four questions" formulation as the takeoff point. Tinbergen, a Nobel laureate, asserted that for a complete understanding of behavior, we had to answer four questions: causation, development, function, and evolution of the behavior.

The first chapter is a nice introduction to the history of the study of animal behavior (another term often used for this discipline is ethology). Some key points: the importance of studying the central nervous system of species, of being aware of behavioral ecology, and cognitive ecology .

The next section, Part I, explores mechanisms of behavior. Among subjects considered in this section: motivation (a chapter authored by Jerry Hogan), the development of behavior (Johan Bolhuis), animal cognition (Nathan Emery and Nicola Clayton). An example in more detail. . . . In the 1950s, there was debate between classical ethologists such as Konrad Lorenz (who spoke of the importance of instinct) and those who emphasized the developmental aspect of behavior (e.g., T. C. Schneirla and Dan Lehrman). Over time, these two schools came to a rapprochement. Indeed, Tinbergen began with three questions and only after the interaction with developmentalists did he add "development " as one of his questions. And with that addition, the study of animal behavior (or ethology) took a "great leap forward."

Part II considers the function and evolution of behavior. That is: What is the survival value of particular behaviors? How did those behaviors evolve? The chapters cover a set of key issues: the function of behavior (Luc-Alain Giraldeau), communication (Peter McGregor), mate choice and sexual selection (Mark Elgar), evolution of behavior (Michael Ryan), and social systems (Anne Pusey). One key chapter is Pusey's which examines the basis for social systems. Some species tend to live solitary lives, but others develop social systems as a part of their adaptive strategies. Certainly, humans are a social species. Hence, this chapter is of value in placing human evolution in a larger context. Key issues considered include why cooperation has developed among social species.

Part III concludes this volume. There are useful chapters on animal welfare and animal conservation. However, perhaps the most intriguing chapter in this section is the final one, entitled "Human Behavior as Animal Behavior" (authored by the esteemed team of Martin Daly and Margo Wilson). They consider some issues that must be considered if thinking that humans are simply one more animal species, including human culture, ethical issues in experimenting with humans, the role of human language. One the other hand, they conclude that humans are, nonetheless, products of the evolutionary process.

For those interested in animal behavior, this is a terrific place to begin to learn about the subject. I would recommend this volume most highly.

This is the textbook that the field of animal behavior has been waiting for. Because this is an edited volume, with experts in the various disciplines having written the chapters, there is no bias towards e.g. an evolutionary or mechanistic approach. There is a remarkable unity of style, despite the diverse collection of authors. The chapters are very accessible and convey an enormous enthusiasm for the study of animal behavior. This is the most comprehensive animal behavior textbook that I know, with topics ranging from neuroscience and biological rhythms to sexual selection and animal welfare. This is likely to be the leading textbook for some time to come.

With so many new animal behaviour textbooks coming onto the market, we seem
to be spoilt for choice. I really enjoyed reading this one, however. Unlike
all the other ethology textbooks that I know of, this one is edited, so you
dont just get one particular point of view. Despite this, there are no
great differences in style between the different chapters, which makes this
book very readable. On the one hand, there is some kind of historical
continuity, as the book is firmly based on Tinbergens `four whys. On the
other hand, this book has a very modern feel to it, with plenty of space
given to topics such as neuroscience, cognition, animal welfare and
conservation biology. The reference list is up to date and there is plenty
of cross-referencing within the book. Also, the book has a very useful
glossary. This is an excellent book for undergraduate animal behaviour
courses, but it is also a very good read for lecturers and researchers in
this field.

Shirley's a colleague and friend (disclaimer), but her new work via ALA is a much-needed cut-to-the-answers handbook for busy researchers, librarians, and information professionals. Kudos for the spirit of humor and yep-been-there tales that lace the solid tips and site information with her personal style and elan. I'll keep my copy right beside my autographed copy of Reva Basch's "Secrets of the Super Net Searchers." For serious Internet searching today, this is the guidebook to cyberspace.

As reference librarian at the North Dade branch of the Miami-Dade system, I have found this superior and more up to date than the mass produced guides found everywhere these days including the supermarket. Our two week old copy is already thumbworn as we keep it by our copies of the terminals for patron reference. I think we may order another one and hide for staff use only! Good job Ms. Kennedy...just keep updating the book!

As an instructor of Internet research to audiences at all levels, I appreciate the direct, no-nonsense, and humorous approach Kennedy takes. The author manages to demystify a subject that intimidates many, even some librarians, who would benefit from reading this book themselves before they check it out to their patrons.

Peter Amcotts' autobiography is the stuff of =best-selling fiction: adventure, romance, the best of times, the worstof times, betrayal, loss and finally peace. H.Rider Haggard could have written it. Or Edgar Rice Burroughs. But Amcotts wrote it himself, and it's not fiction. It's a true-life adventure that spans the globe. Amcotts, a World War II veteran, writes about life with verve and humor. He's experienced it all, from an abusive father to a British "public school" education, to the war, to love and marriage, to his experiences as an ex-pat in East Africa, Canada, Hawaii and the Middle East. Amcotts' adventures make for enjoyable reading, although his British reserve keeps him from writing as much about his feelings as one would have liked. Having met the author and his wife, and one of their daughters, it's a pleasure to see the pictures of them in by-gone days. Amcotts' descriptions of his life, especially the family's times in Kenya, are vivid. The family lived on part of a former coffee plantation that once belonged to Karen Blixen. During the Mau Mau insurgency, they went to bed with loaded pistols at their sides. Having known many American World War II veterans, I found it very interesting to read the experiences of a British soldier. Mrs.. Amcotts was also in uniform. Is a second installment of the family saga, her story, in order? Autobiography and reminiscences are genres that capture the past in the most personal of ways. The Best Laid Plans recreates part of the 20th century from the author's point of view. That personal history, and that point of view, is worth reading, and enjoying.

A review from Cliff Bowyer, the president of theBritish-American Club. =I have just finished a very interesting book, it is an Autobiography, but reads like a novel. It is a true story of adventure, travel, romance, world war, revolution, failure and success. Written by an ex-Brit, who recently moved to the Bay Area after living in many countries. It spans the years from the mid 1920s to the present day and covers four continents. The book tells the author's life as a boy growing up under the very dominant thumb of an over strict father. His years at public school, the W.W.II. Serving in the Royal Engineers in India. How he met his future wife who at the time was serving in the WRNS. The post war years in England were hard for ex-servicemen who had been subjected to life abroad. So austerity and the ever present search for adventure led the author to a new life in East Africa, at the time of the Mau Mau rebellion. You will read his journey to the New World and the many exciting travels and experiences that followed... but I could go on and on. I must admit I did get carried away with this very intriguing story. If you are someone who likes unusual Autobiographies, this is the book for you.

I find the style of the writing to be the most unique aspect of this biography. One sentence can convey a whole stream of related thoughts that could be expanded into a seperate novel, possibly fiction based on Mr. Amcotts experience that day. The episodes presented in Africa are the most intrigueing. I thought of some enlightened sreenwriter adapting a concept storyline from a single page and developing a major motion picture! Mr. Amcotts P.O.V.(Point of view) style of writing makes one wish for a slower, more colorful, pace. I find myself wanting to interupt his presentation to ask for explanations of "why" or maybe a more personal observation of the situation he has placed himself in. Retrospection is a useful teaching tool that should be used to fuller advantage for the benefit of the reader rather than the Author. But realizing that and reading between lines does provide some entertaining thoughts for the reader.

This is a wonderful, amazing book. But STOP as this obsolete version has been superceded by "Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Albums" which updates the book through Dec 31, 2005.

I first got this book in 1976 and have gotten it every time it's updated, and I have only two complaints about it; 1) it only gets updated every 3 to 5 years and 2) it's so damned expensive! But once you open it (and it feels like an LA Phone book), you forget the price and just OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH at how fact-filled and interesting it it! It practically tells you the last time your favorite artist picked his nose! It has EVERYTHING! I only with they would update it something like every two years. Get it, along with the Albums and Singles books, and you really don't need anything else. This book is THE B E S T !

I've been on Record Research's list for many years, and this was my very first Pop Albums book I purchased. It's got several amazing features. The best feature is that you can see which albums made the Pop Catalog albums chart. Although all of the artists do not have their complete discographies listed (only the albums that were charted on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart are in this book), and not much facts and trivia under albums, I still think this book deserves to be on music lovers shelves. I hope in the next edition they will show what current albums that can be found on vinyl.

Don't worry if you are not a science-oriented person! This is a great resource for anyone interested in evolution, dna and natural selection. The book is almost a dialogue between the authors and each topic's history, growth and purpose is given in everyday language and images. If you are a scientist, you will still find this a valuable tool, especially if you've ever tried to explain some of these issues to non-scientists.

Edey and Johanson do a splendid job of detailing the philosophies and scientific discoveries that led to the formation of modern evolutionary thought. The history they present is filled with interesting details and offers a good refresher on high school biology. It begins with many pre-Darwinian thoughts and works its way up to the present (or 1990). Along the way the authors occasionally dialogue between themselves explaining various topics, offering analogies for concepts, presenting possible theories, and giving personal details about the men and women involved in this field.

...the book is more presentational rather than apologetic. On occasion the authors did generalize creationism with Biblical fundamentalism, but they also admit once to the difficulty of originating life. I would also have liked to have seen more fossil discoveries outside the realm of humanity, a discussion on stem cell and embryo development, and perhaps a brief tracing of the likely line of descent from single celled bacteria to the major classes of vertebrates. (I am a theist, so take into consideration any bias.)

Overall, there were only a few tedious pages, but it is otherwise an excellent book that I had a hard time putting down.

Blueprints is just what the title says. A look at how evolution performed its magic work, on our species and others. While I started reading this book knowing what evolution was, I left it knowing how it works. Taking you from the first scientific investigation of the relations of species, through to the discovery of DNA, Maitland Edey and Donald Johanson clearly and easily walk you through time. The concepts are explained simply and succinctly, in an entertaining style that often includes humorous incidents as the world of science lurched toward our current level of understanding. I would recommend this book to anyone, including students, who wishes to experience the evolution of evolution

This book is very informative and well researched. It, however, does not contain a lot of colour photos. Nevertheless, the book is excellent in content and very useful for research. It, along with the Vol 1, are necessities to any nautical library.

An excellant source of information to anyone interested in the age of fighting sail. Not just firarms of the period are covered but all gunpowder weapons used for combat by ships at sea of the period. Provides a great wealth of information and insight into the imagination and genius of the weapons desighners of the period.

Great book and very great reading.

Students of navy history in the age of fighting sail are in for a feast! This is the BEST book I've read to date on the firearms of the sea service. From muskets, pistols, volley guns, carronades, grenades and other incinderaries, Gilkerson does an outstanding job with the subject. By the time I was finished with this one, I was ready to strap on a cutlass and a brace of pistols!

The author points out some very important aspects of learning through the
prism of background knowledge. There is a general correlation between
academic background knowledge and generalized academic performance.
In addition, the book covers the transitory steps aimed at harnessing
working memory into permanent memory. There is a section which shows how
surface knowledge enhances background knowledge. Text density is another
indicator of learning. Texts which contain many new words not widely
interspersed will have the lowest new vocabulary retention. As newer words
are more widely dispersed, readers have up to a 30% retention from a
mere retention in single digits. Poverty is another correlator to overall
academic performance according to the author. The book presents a very
valuable common Greek/Latin root derivative section. For instance,
Greek words enter into the English language , thusly.
- ast or star means astronomy
- cycle or circle means cycle
- gram finds usage in the word telegraph or autograph
- meter is utilized in thermometer or centimeter
- photo finds usage in photograph
- scop or to see is utilized in the word microscope
- therm or heat is utilized in thermometer

The Latin root "act" is utilized in react or transact. The Latin root
"ang" means to bend as in angle or angular. The Latin root "aud" for
hear is seen in the word audible. The Latin root "credit" is seen in
incredible etc.

The book is a worthy acquisition for the student, linguist, writer or
academic person in your household. It is a good value for the price charged.

As a dual-language elementary teacher it is important that I teach my students the meaning of specific words in the subjects they have to learn in order to get the meaning. This book allows me to concentrate on the meaning, context and usage of words in the different subjects I teach rather than having to look for the words and then do what I described. It has also helped me build a stronger vocabulary and made me a better teacher for my students.

Building Background Knowledge For Academic Achievement: Research On What Works In Schools by Robert J. Marzano (Senior Scholar, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, Aurora, Colorado and Associate Professor, Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) discusses how two combined approaches - sustained silent reading and careful study of subject-specific vocabulary terms - can help young adults overcome weaknesses in background knowledge that would otherwise undermine their educational pursuits, from elementary to high school. In addition to the outlined principles for a sustained silent reading program, and effective vocabulary instruction, over 7,923 actual vocabulary terms have been culled for presentation from national standards documents and other publications, organized into 11 subject areas and 4 grade-level categories. A superb home schooling, self-study, or curriculum supplementary guide, highly recommended for parents, educators, tutors, and studious individuals seeking to hone the tools that maximize their comprehension skills.

There is a lot of misinformation spread around about the history of the videodisc. If you are curious about the facts, check out this book. It is recommended for all new media designers. It shows the disastrous consequences of failure of vision. In RCA's case, they correctly judged that there was going to be a huge market in consumer video, but it never occurred to them that time shifting, home recording, and program rental would be the features to drive it. In parallel with the capacitance electronic disc (CED) they developed a MagTape system. If they had gone to market with MagTape, there might still be an RCA today.

The definitive historical reference on the design phase of the CED System. This book was largely researched from 1976 to 1978 as an exercise in applied history. The book deals primarily with this late 70's time frame, although it also contains chapters on early RCA history, VideoDisc on the market, and lessons to be learned from the CED project. This book also discusses other consumer video formats developed, but never marketed by RCA, which include Discpix, Photopix, Holopix, Holotape, and Magtape.

The definitive historical reference on the design phase of the CED System. This book was largely researched from 1976 to 1978 as an exercise in applied history. The book deals primarily with this late 70's time frame, although it also contains chapters on early RCA history, VideoDisc on the market, and lessons to be learned from the CED project. This book also discusses other consumer video formats developed, but never marketed by RCA, which include Discpix, Photopix, Holopix, Holotape, and Magtape. The more expensive hardcover edition of the book has the title clauses reversed, and also includes a slip cover showing a VideoDisc reflecting a rainbow pattern.

We have read both of Dave's books and he is certainly knowledgable in real estate. Dave also has helped us in the buying process, and all has run smoothly. We consider Dave a professional in all aspects of real estate. The book is filled with data that we did not truly know about concerning the market.

This book is packed with information that will help you if you've never bought a home, or have done so a dozen or more times. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, should read Chapter 3 on selecting an Agent... If you are buying, selling, thinking of a career in Real Estate, or are already an Agent!

For many people like me, the home buying process is alien, confusing, and full of pitfalls. What I needed was a guide to help me quickly and effectively understand the entire process, along with the plethora of associated considerations.

David Rathgeber's home buying book gave me almost everything I needed to quickly make sense of the home buying process. He introduced me to all the major issues and considerations that I was about to face. Not only did he clearly address the most pertinent issues, but he also concisely provided abundant advice on each aspect of home buying, to include difficult issues such as understanding the emotional and psychological aspects that both the buyer and seller face. In this book, David even helps the reader understand how to get the appropriate professional help at the right time. This is done in a constructive manner that demonstrates to the reader that he is only one part of a team that is focused on making the home buying process successful.

Along with David's personal help in purchasing a home, this book provides almost everything that a home buyer needs, especially if the buyer is completely new to the home buying process. It is actually quite comforting to read this book in that David teaches the home buyer how to develop a healthy respect for all the participants no matter what their role may be. Toward this end, David articulates the human aspect of a stressful process that often can appear to be impersonal.