Statistical Consulting to Behavioral Scientists

Lecturersdr. E. Dusseldorp (coordinator) and dr. M.G.E. Verdam 
VenueLeiden University  
Mandatory/ElectiveMandatory 

Students that have taken the following courses are exempt:
LU: Statistical Consulting (Statistical Science)
UvA: Behavioural Data Science Toolbox and Internship Data-Driven Consultancy
UU: Consultation shop RM consultations

To request an exemption for this course, kindly send an email to secretaariaat.iops@rug.nl along with evidence of the completed courses.
 ECTS3
Target groupIOPS-dissertation students. The minimum number of participants is 6 and
the maximum is 16. Dissertation students who have done the master
courses on Statistical Consulting of the University
 Objectives

After this course, the participant is able to:

  • Distinguish between different types of statistical consultation;
  • Identify and recognize issues in a client project relevant for a
    statistical consultant, such as: research question, study design,
    sampling procedure, and measurement instruments;
  • Identify and recognize possible pitfalls and/or ethical issues relevant for a statistical consultant;
  • Choose and apply (an) appropriate analysis technique(s) to answer
    the client’s research question(s);
  • Effectively communicate the choice of analysis technique, the
    statistical assumptions, the analysis results and how these answer
    the research question to the client (orally and briefly in writing);
FormatThe participants choose one real client project (in a substantive field; client
has limited knowledge of statistics) before the course starts; the topics are
known February 7, 2023. The participants work in pairs on one client
project. They perform three consultancy interviews with their client (part of
the other participants observe these interviews); the end product is an
extended abstract and a script with comments for the client; Furthermore,
we provide videos, topics for classroom discussions, and interactive lectures.
LiteratureSeveral articles on topics related to statistical consultancy and
communication about statistics, distributed during the course.
PrerequisitesStatistics and methodology at the level of the Dutch master programs in the
behavioral and social sciences.
WorkloadWorkload: 4 hours of preparation (before start); 22 contact hours; 50 hours
of problem solving, analyses, and writing script; 8 hours of writing abstract;
RegistrationRegister by sending an email to secretariaat.iops@rug.nl
ExaminationAttendance