Lectures On Categorical Data Analysis

This book offers a relatively self-contained presentation of the fundamental results in categorical data analysis, which plays a central role among the statistical techniques applied in the social, political and behavioral sciences, as well as in marketing and medical and biological research. The methods applied are mainly aimed at understanding the structure of associations among variables and the effects of other variables on these interactions. A great advantage of studying categorical data analysis is that many concepts in statistics become transparent when discussed in a categorical data context, and, in many places, the book takes this opportunity to comment on general principles and methods in statistics, addressing not only the “how” but also the “why.” Assuming minimal background in calculus, linear algebra, probability theory and statistics, the book is designed to be used in upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses in the field and in more general statistical methodology courses, as well as a self-study resource for researchers and professionals. The book covers such key issues as: higher order interactions among categorical variables; the use of the delta-method to correctly determine asymptotic standard errors for complex quantities reported in surveys; the fundamentals of the main theories of causal analysis based on observational data; the usefulness of the odds ratio as a measure of association; and a detailed discussion of log-linear models, including graphical models. The book contains over 200 problems, many of which may also be used as starting points for undergraduate research projects. The material can be used by students toward a variety of goals, depending on the degree of theory or application desired.

A valuable new edition of a standard reference The use of statistical methods for categorical data has increased dramatically, particularly for applications in the biomedical and social sciences. An Introduction to Categorical Data Analysis, Third Edition summarizes these methods and shows readers how to use them using software. Readers will find a unified generalized linear models approach that connects logistic regression and loglinear models for discrete data with normal regression for continuous data. Adding to the value in the new edition is: • Illustrations of the use of R software to perform all the analyses in the book • A new chapter on alternative methods for categorical data, including smoothing and regularization methods (such as the lasso), classification methods such as linear discriminant analysis and classification trees, and cluster analysis • New sections in many chapters introducing the Bayesian approach for the methods of that chapter • More than 70 analyses of data sets to illustrate application of the methods, and about 200 exercises, many containing other data sets • An appendix showing how to use SAS, Stata, and SPSS, and an appendix with short solutions to most odd-numbered exercises Written in an applied, nontechnical style, this book illustrates the methods using a wide variety of real data, including medical clinical trials, environmental questions, drug use by teenagers, horseshoe crab mating, basketball shooting, correlates of happiness, and much more. An Introduction to Categorical Data Analysis, Third Edition is an invaluable tool for statisticians and biostatisticians as well as methodologists in the social and behavioral sciences, medicine and public health, marketing, education, and the biological and agricultural sciences.

This book continues the mission of the previous text by the author, Lectures on Categorical Data Analysis, by expanding on the introductory concepts from that volume and providing a mathematically rigorous presentation of advanced topics and current research in statistical techniques which can be applied in the social, political, behavioral, and life sciences. It presents an intuitive and unified discussion of an array of themes in categorical data analysis, and the emphasis on structure over stochastics renders many of the methods applicable in machine learning environments and for the analysis of big data. The book focuses on graphical models, their application in causal analysis, the analytical properties of parameterizations of multivariate discrete distributions, marginal models, and coordinate-free relational models. To guide the readers in future research, the volume provides references to original papers and also offers detailed proofs of most of the significant results. Like the previous volume, it features exercises and research questions, making it appropriate for graduate students, as well as for active researchers.

Statistical science’s first coordinated manual of methods for analyzing ordered categorical data, now fully revised and updated, continues to present applications and case studies in fields as diverse as sociology, public health, ecology, marketing, and pharmacy. Analysis of Ordinal Categorical Data, Second Edition provides an introduction to basic descriptive and inferential methods for categorical data, giving thorough coverage of new developments and recent methods. Special emphasis is placed on interpretation and application of methods including an integrated comparison of the available strategies for analyzing ordinal data. Practitioners of statistics in government, industry (particularly pharmaceutical), and academia will want this new edition.

Categorical data-comprising counts of individuals, objects, or entities in different categories-emerge frequently from many areas of study, including medicine, sociology, geology, and education. They provide important statistical information that can lead to real-life conclusions and the discovery of fresh knowledge. Therefore, the ability to manipulate, understand, and interpret categorical data becomes of interest-if not essential-to professionals and students in a broad range of disciplines. Although t-tests, linear regression, and analysis of variance are useful, valid methods for analysis of measurement data, categorical data requires a different methodology and techniques typically not encountered in introductory statistics courses. Developed from long experience in teaching categorical analysis to a multidisciplinary mix of undergraduate and graduate students, A Course in Categorical Data Analysis presents the easiest, most straightforward ways of extracting real-life conclusions from contingency tables. The author uses a Fisherian approach to categorical data analysis and incorporates numerous examples and real data sets. Although he offers S-PLUS routines through the Internet, readers do not need full knowledge of a statistical software package. In this unique text, the author chooses methods and an approach that nurtures intuitive thinking. He trains his readers to focus not on finding a model that fits the data, but on using different models that may lead to meaningful conclusions. The book offers some simple, innovative techniques not highighted in other texts that help make the book accessible to a broad, interdisciplinary audience. A Course in Categorical Data Analysis enables readers to quickly use its offering of tools for drawing scientific, medical, or real-life conclusions from categorical data sets.

An Applied Treatment of Modern Graphical Methods for Analyzing Categorical DataDiscrete Data Analysis with R: Visualization and Modeling Techniques for Categorical and Count Data presents an applied treatment of modern methods for the analysis of categorical data, both discrete response data and frequency data. It explains how to use graphical meth

The aim of this book is to give an up to date account of the most commonly uses statist i cal models for categoriCal data. The emphasis is on the connection between theory and appIications to real data sets. The book only covers models for categorical data. Various n:t0dels for mixed continuous and categorical data are thus excluded. The book is written as a textbook, although many methods and results are quite recent. This should imply, that the book can be used for a graduate course in categorical data analysis. With this aim in mind chapters 3 to 12 are concluded with a set of exer eises. In many cases, the data sets are those data sets, which were not included in the examples of the book, although they at one point in time were regarded as potential can didates for an example. A certain amount of general knowledge of statistical theory is necessary to fully benefit from the book. A summary of the basic statistical concepts deemed necessary pre requisites is given in chapter 2. The mathematical level is only moderately high, but the account in chapter 3 of basic properties of exponential families and the parametric multinomial distribution is made as mathematical preeise as possible without going into mathematical details and leaving out most proofs.

Learn How to Properly Analyze Categorical Data Analysis of Categorical Data with R presents a modern account of categorical data analysis using the popular R software. It covers recent techniques of model building and assessment for binary, multicategory, and count response variables and discusses fundamentals, such as odds ratio and probability estimation. The authors give detailed advice and guidelines on which procedures to use and why to use them. The Use of R as Both a Data Analysis Method and a Learning Tool Requiring no prior experience with R, the text offers an introduction to the essential features and functions of R. It incorporates numerous examples from medicine, psychology, sports, ecology, and other areas, along with extensive R code and output. The authors use data simulation in R to help readers understand the underlying assumptions of a procedure and then to evaluate the procedure’s performance. They also present many graphical demonstrations of the features and properties of various analysis methods. Web Resource The data sets and R programs from each example are available at www.chrisbilder.com/categorical. The programs include code used to create every plot and piece of output. Many of these programs contain code to demonstrate additional features or to perform more detailed analyses than what is in the text. Designed to be used in tandem with the book, the website also uniquely provides videos of the authors teaching a course on the subject. These videos include live, in-class recordings, which instructors may find useful in a blended or flipped classroom setting. The videos are also suitable as a substitute for a short course.