Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Video and Multimedia
Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.
Video Links
What Is a Standard Normal Distribution?
This video provides a visual and audio description of the normal curve. This is discussed in simplified terms with drawings (4:33).
Describes z scores and how to find the z score of a data point (2:06).
An Introduction to the Normal Distribution
This video describes the normal distribution and important key points (5:26).
Audio Links
Put Away the Bell Curve: Most of Us Aren’t “Average”
New research suggests that rather than describe how humans perform, the bell curve may actually be constraining how people perform (4:33).
A Scientific Approach to Helping the Homeless
New York writer Malcolm Gladwell discusses how the homeless problem could be solved if assistance were provided to a small number of permanently homeless people (7:21).
BBC podcast that gives a historical overview of the Gaussian, or bell-shaped, distribution and how it is used today (13:49).
Web Links
Descriptive Statistics and Psychological Testing
This website illustrates the normal curve and discusses the meaning behind it. Also discusses scores (T scores, z scores, scaled scores) and percentiles.
This article describes the normal curve and how to find the area under the normal curve.
This article and calculator describe how to convert a z score to a raw score.
This article and calculator describe how to convert a raw score to a z score.
Normal Approximation to the Binomial
A description of the relationship between the normal distribution and the binomial distribution and how to use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution are provided.