Mplus Syntax

I "learnt" how to use Mplus recently. It was more of receiving coaching from a colleague who is very proficient in using Mplus than attending actual training seminars/ workshops. I have always used SPSS which in a way is quite idiot-proof for people like me who are statistically-challenged. 
I had to run some confirmatory factor analysis using Mplus. The most difficult part was the Mplus syntax. A comma missing, or an extra something, it wouldn't run the analysis. I was so frustrated. After more coaching, I was finally getting a little better at it but still a long way from writing the syntax. 
Praying hard to the Statistics God not to make my life harder...

A Like-Hate Affair

I am currently in a like-hate relationship. What should I do?!
I thought I was done with statistics as my project is drawing to an end. But there are still some last minute questions about the data from our partner, the final questions I hope! I thought I would dread analysing the data again. But as I was running the stats, I found myself smiling. OMG. What is happening to me?! I am supposed to hate stats! Lol. Stats and I? It definitely won't be love anytime soon. I guess I like it a little at times but I also hate it at times lol.  

Multiple Regression (Argh!)

I have been working hard on a multiple regression report. It is the first time that I am writing such a report (stats is not really my favourite subject in the world but I am stuck with it). I have written close to 50 pages. Probably another 5-10 pages to go before I can pass the first draft over to my PI. 

Oh Goddess, give me the strength...

Killer

I was working on my stats and organising the results into tables when I noticed that, halfway through the analysis, the N changed. I went back to the raw data to check. Please don't let it be... *fingers crossed* Oh no! Argh!

I failed to delete an invalid case. :( Now I have to re-run the stats because my N is quite small so even if the difference is 1, it would affect the means and standard deviations. Sigh. My work over the past two days is down the drain. :(

New BFF

Received another email. More number crunching to be done! Since I first joined the research centre, I never once thought I would crunching so much numbers as I do now. Stats has never been my strength but at the rate this is going now, stats is going to be my new bff whether I like it or not lol. :P

Statistics

I tried doing some of the statistics for the pilot study over the weekend as the results might be needed for our meeting this morning. I wasn't sure if I was doing it correctly. When my colleague and stats expert checked it, I was on the right track. Phew. Lol.
I guess stats is a matter of practice makes perfect! Recently I was helping another colleague with stats in his project. So all that "helping out" has been revision and practice for me lol.

Argh!

I am in the midst of revising my chapters. My chapter 4 stats is just driving me up the wall! ARGH. I think once I am done with my chapters, I never want to deal with stats again.

Writing, Calculating, Working

That's what I am doing for my dissertation chapter on Results - writing, calculating and churning out the numbers and working hard on it. I have wasted enough time. Sigh. My bad.

Now, I want to get my Results chapter done as soon as possible because I am finally seeing that faint speck of light at the end of this long PhD journey. Just a little more to go...

Statistics and I

Statistics and I are strange bedfellows. I don't exactly love Statistics as some of my friends would know, lol. But I had to do Stats because it was a requisite to get my Psychology degree. I am still amazed that I passed all 3 years of Stats hahaha. :P I thought I never have to do Stats again. But of course, I just had to land myself in research work where using Stats analysis is part of the work. Maybe I just have a thing with "torturing" myself, hahaha. :P

Today, I was working on a set of data. The data was quite strange, couldn't really get much out of it. To be honest, it was a little frustrating. But I guess that is where the joy of Stats is as well. Stats allows you to play around with the data until you can make sense of it. It was exhilarating when I could finally understand what the data was trying to tell me. :)