Unit 1 – Fundamentals of Statistics

The first unit in this course will introduce you to the principles of statistics and why we study and use them in the behavioral sciences. It covers the basic terminology and notation used for statistics, as well as how people in the behavioral sciences think about, use, interpret, and communicate information and data. The unit will conclude with a brief introduction to concepts in probability that underlie how scientists perform data analysis. The material in this unit will serve as the building blocks for the logic and application of hypothesis testing, which is introduced in Unit 2 and comprises the rest of the material in the course.

Statistics are also a powerful tool for understanding inequality and advancing social justice. By collecting and analyzing data, we can uncover patterns that reveal disparities in areas such as income, housing, health, education, or policing. For example, statistics allow us to measure wage gaps across gender and race, document unequal access to healthcare by neighborhood, or examine disproportionate arrest and incarceration rates among communities of color. These numbers are more than just figures—they tell stories about who benefits from systems and who is left behind. Learning how to use statistics equips us to ask critical questions, challenge assumptions, and back up claims about inequality with evidence. In this way, statistics become not only a technical skill but also a means of making social conditions visible and fostering accountability.