SOME OF THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS ASKED OF STATISTICAL CONSULTANTS - OUR FAVORITE RESPONSES AND RECOMMENDED READINGS

We addressed the following 16 of the most common questions or concerns encountered when consulting with applied researchers: detecting and m anaging outliers; handling missing data; multiple comparisons and fami lywise alpha rate protection: the disadvantages of dichotomization; th e nature of the general linear model; writing the results section; det ermining the number of factors to retain in factor analysis; power ana lysis; parametric versus nonparametric statistics; appropriate numbers of predictor variables for use in multiple regression; variable selec tion procedures in multiple regression; interpreting beta weights; gra phic display of data; interpreting interaction effects; alternative an alyses for pretest-posttest control group designs; and choosing betwee n multivariate and univariate procedures. We offer brief responses, no t exhaustive theoretical expositions, but, we believe they will help f ellow consultants, teachers, and researchers to answer their own quest ions and those of their consultees, students, and associates.