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MIT OpenCourseWare

Data Analysis for Social Scientists - Spring 2023

MIT OpenCourseWare via YouTube

Overview

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Learn essential statistical methods and data analysis techniques for addressing questions in social sciences, economics, and policy research through this comprehensive MIT course. Master fundamental concepts in probability and statistics before progressing to advanced topics including regression analysis, econometrics, experimental design, randomized controlled trials, A/B testing, machine learning, and data visualization. Explore real-world applications through frontier research examples while developing practical skills in the R statistical programming language. Cover key topics from basic probability theory and random variables to complex issues like omitted variable bias, endogeneity, and instrumental variables. Gain hands-on experience with data collection, summarization, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and causal inference methods. Practice creating effective data visualizations and conducting self-directed empirical analyses. Understand how to design and analyze randomized experiments, perform nonparametric comparisons, and handle practical challenges in regression modeling. Build a solid foundation in statistical thinking that bridges theoretical concepts with practical applications in social science research.

Syllabus

Lecture 01: Introduction to 14.310x Data Analysis for Social Scientists
Lecture 02: Fundamentals of Probability
Lecture 03: Random Variables, Distributions, and Joint Distributions
Lecture 04: Gathering and Collecting Data
Lecture 05: Summarizing and Describing Data
Lecture 06: Joint, Marginal, and Conditional Distributions
Lecture 07: Functions of Random Variables
Lecture 08: Moments of Distribution
Lecture 09: Expectation, Variance, and Introduction to Regression
Lecture 10: Special Distributions
Lecture 11: Special Distributions, continued. The Sample Mean, Central Limit Theorem, and Estimation
Lecture 12: Assessing and Deriving Estimators
Lecture 13. Confidence Intervals, Hypothesis Testing, and Power Calculations
Lecture 14: Causality
Lecture 15: Analyzing Randomized Experiments
Lecture 16: (More) Explanatory Data Analysis: Nonparametric Comparisons and Regressions
Lecture 17: The Linear Model
Lecture 18: The Multivariate Model
Lecture 19: Practical Issues in Running Regressions
Lecture 20: Omitted Variable Bias
Lecture 21: Endogeneity and Instrument Variables
Lecture 22: Experimental Design
Lecture 23: Visualizing Data

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MIT OpenCourseWare

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