Prospectus

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Applied Multivariate Data Analysis - Mini Courses in Statistics

Course
2010-2011

Admission requirements

The research master course is taught at a level that is suitable for both research master students and PhD candidates. Students with a good background in elementary statistics and methods of research at the bachelor level can also apply.

Description

The course runs during the whole year; each semester for 16 weeks. The course consists of a series of in total 10 topics.

One part of the course, part A, starts in the first semester (September-December) of each academic year, and the other part in the second semester, part B, (January-April). Students are free to choose which part they like to start with. They may continue the second part in the next academic year. Each part consists of a series of mini-courses where each topic includes “when and why to use a special statistical technique”, “how to use a special technique” and “how to interpret the results”.

Topics include:

  • factor analysis and principal component analysis

  • nonlinear analysis of categorical data

  • principal components analysis

  • regression analysis

  • (multiple) correspondence analysis

  • multidimensional scaling & cluster analysis

  • longitudinal data analysis & repeated measures

  • loglinear analysis & models for interactions

  • missing data analysis (in the first semester)

  • applied regression & analysis of variance

  • quasi-experimental designs

  • classical test theory

  • multilevel analysis

  • structural equation modeling in the second semester.

The treatment of each topic in the course will have a similar structure, in particular:

  • Exposition of the situations in which a particular technique should be used and why, illustrated with an example from actual research.

  • A summary exposition of the basic principles and the working of the technique and how it can be applied to real data.

  • Discussion of the output of computer programs (especially SPSS) designed to carry out the analyses.

  • The participants will have to hand assignments. The assignment consists of a data analysis with the technique in question.

  • Each assignment will be graded, and students will have to have a passing grade on all assignments. The final grade will be a weighted average of all individual grades. Grades can only be awarded to participants who take part in the entire course.

Course objectives

  • A short exposition of a variety of techniques will be given.

  • Students learn to choose which technique to apply in which situation.

Timetable

Applied Multivariate Data Analysis – Mini Courses in Statistics (2010-2011):

Mode of instruction

Lectures and workgroups, supervised

Assessment method

Graded assignments during the course

From January 1, 2006 the Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted the Ephorus system to be used by instructors for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. Please see the information concerning fraud .

Blackboard

Information on blackboard.leidenuniv.nl

Reading list

Capita Selecta

Registration

Introduction and enrolment for courses of the first semester will take place in August 2010. Introduction and enrolment for courses of the second semester will take place in January 2011. More information will be available at the website of the Institute of Psychology.

NB: Exam registration will take place via uSis, and will be open between a month and a week before the (re)exam. Students who haven’t registered, cannot participate in the exam.

Contact information

The course is a collaboration between the Institute of Education and Child Studies and the Institute of Psychology.