A major concern in the social sciences is understanding and explaining the relationship between two variables. We showed in Chapter 5 how to address this issue using tabular presentations. In this chapter we show how to address the issue statistically via regression and correlation. We first cover the two concepts of regression and correlation. We then turn to the issue of statistical inference and ways of evaluating the statistical significance of our results. Since most social science research is undertaken using sample data, we need to determine whether the regression and correlation coefficients we calculate using the sample data are statistically significant in the larger population from which the sample data were drawn.

This chapter illustrates the operation of the analytic model we have elaborated in Part II of the book. The case comes from a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ American TV show in which members of the general public were tested as to whether they would intervene and help others in the face of public abuse. The incident has a complex participation structure, and as such triggers a complex set of polite and impolite evaluations. The goal here is to help the reader to deploy the concepts of the book’s model, including beyond relatively simple dyadic interpersonal interactions. The case is analysed in detail and then further data is provided for readers to try carrying out an analysis themselves.