Department of Psychology - Faculty

Daniel J. Denis, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Quantitative and Statistical Psychology

Director of Statistical Consulting Lab

University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812

Office Phone: (406) 243-4539
Fax: (406) 243-6366
Email: daniel.denis@umontana.edu

B.A. (1997). Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada.
M.A. (1999). York University, Toronto, Canada.
Ph.D. (2004). York University, Toronto, Canada.

Current Course Offerings:

Psyc. 220: Psychological Statistics (UGRAD)

Psyc. 296: Independent Study "Teaching Statistics" (UGRAD)

Psyc. 296: Independent Study "Bayesian Decision Models" (UGRAD)

Psyc. 596: Independent Study "Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling" (GRAD)

Psyc. 520: Advanced Psychological Statistics (Stat I) (GRAD)

Psyc. 521: Advanced Psychological Statistics (Stat II) (GRAD)

Psyc. 522: Multivariate Statistics (GRAD)

Psyc. 629: The Bayesian Statistics of Decision Modeling and Risk Analysis (GRAD)

Psyc. 600: Practicum in Statistical Consulting (GRAD)

For details on the Statistical Consulting Lab (SCL), link to:

http://psychweb.psy.umt.edu/denis/scl/index.html

 

Statistical Consulting

I specialize in statistical consulting across various disciplines, namely psychology, health sciences, law, and business. I have recently served as consultant for the United States District Court in conjunction with the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, International. I have also recently given a seminar at Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP, providing their legal team with an understanding of statistics for lawyers, as well as an overview of how to formulate decision models for important decisions in litigation, such as whether to call an expert witness to the stand, or whether to advance a change of venue request. Decision models, using expected value and expected utility, are powerful tools to use when needing to make important, cost-effective, key decisions in a legal trial.

I have also recently consulted for Dr. Donald E. Vinson of Vinson & Company LLC, Jury & Trial Consulting firm, New York/Los Angeles. Other recent consulting has included Yale University School of Medicine, the Department of Genetics & Developmental Biology School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, the Department of Biology, University of Virginia, and the Department of Social Work, California State University East Bay.

Additional consulting clients have included Rehabilitation Research, Evaluation, and Education Services (Toronto), Information Studies, University of Toronto, Counseling Foundation of Canada (Toronto), Rothbart Pain Management Clinic (Toronto), Rural Institute, University of Montana.

I currently serve as Director of the Statistical Consulting Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Montana. I am a member of the American Statistical Association, Divisions of Statistical Consulting (CNSL) and Survey Research Methods (SRMS), a member of the Mathematical Association of America and a member of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA). My academic interests are centered on statistics, statistical consulting, history of statistics and mathematics, quantitative methods, psychometrics and testing, research design and methodology.

The following are select areas and topics for which I am qualified to teach and/or consult:

Probability, independence, visual display of quantitative information and graphs, binomial distributions, central tendency, variability, sampling distributions, estimation, normal distribution, independent samples t-tests, pairwise t-tests, poisson distribution and poisson regression, null hypothesis-testing, significance-testing, statistical inference, experimental design and planning, statistical power and sample size estimation, general linear models, generalized linear models (e.g., logistic regression), analysis of variance (ANOVA), factorial analysis of variance, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), fixed effects ANOVA, Bonferroni corrections, significance levels, effect size, Cohen's d, random effects ANOVA, mixed models ANOVA, repeated measures analysis of variance, multiple comparisons, linear contrasts, correlation, biserial correlation, point-biserial correlation, simple linear least-squares regression, non-linear regression, multiple regression, Hotelling's T, matrix algebra for multivariate statistics, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), categorical data analysis, chi-square, discriminant function analysis, binary logistic regression, principal components analysis (PCA), factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, decision analysis, decision models for litigation, general Bayesian methodology, psychometric reliability, validity, standardization, item analysis, data base management, meta-analysis, survey sampling, survey analysis, SPSS, AMOS.

For various notes on these and other topics, link to educational resources. You will require Adobe Reader to read the pdf files.

 

Current Statistical Consulting Projects

Evaluation of the PARK Project, SAMHSA

Yale University School of Medicine

Joy S. Kaufman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Director of Program and Service System Evaluation

Role: Statistical Consultant – provide statistical consulting and statistical analyses of PARK Project outcome measures. Models used include longitudinal multilevel, HLM.

 

Evaluation of PEP, SAMHSA

Yale University School of Medicine

Joy S. Kaufman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Director of Program and Service System Evaluation

Role: Statistical Consultant – provide statistical consulting on PEP. Models used include longitudinal multilevel, HLM.

 

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education

Grant H133B030501

Dr. Tom Seekins, Director of Rural Institute, University of Montana, Missoula, U.S.A.

Role: Statistical Consultant – provide statistical support for the sampling of rural population for the development of disability accessibility scale.

 

Some Recent Consulting Projects

United States District Court / Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, International - I provided analyses of a survey used to measure public opinion regarding a legal case, and provided expert testimony on the quality and psychometric/statistical properties of the instrument.

Neurorehabilitation Outcome Measurement System - I provided reliability and validation analyses for the consulting firm Rehabilitation Research, Evaluation and Education Services (RREES). I also performed exploratory cluster analyses to identify patient profile types. These analyses were used in the development and implementation of ROMS, which is software used to track the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain and associated psychological conditions. The project was directed primarily by Dr. J. Douglas Salmon, Jr.

Therapeutic Residential Services Study - I provided design and proposed longitudinal analyses for a project conceived by Florence Crittenton Homes in Helena, Montana. The project was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an in-home program for pregnant teen mothers and their children.

Rural Transportation Study - Rural Institute at the University of Montana - I provided statistical consulting and analysis on the availability of transportation for the disabled population in rural locations in the state of Montana. Results have been published in Seekins, T., Bridges, S., Santa, A., Denis, D., & Hartsell, A. (2007). Faith based organizations: A potential partner in rural transportation. Journal of Public Transportation. The project was headed by Dr. Tom Seekins.

Accessibility for the Disabled - This is an ongoing study which seeks to measure accessibility for disabled populations across the state of Montana. Currently, we have completed a pilot study using an accessibility measure for the city of Hamilton, Montana. Our next step is to use this pilot data to determine an appropriate sampling method for the entire state.

Food on Film - R21 submitted to NIH - I provided design support and consulting on a grant proposal submitted to the National Institute of Health. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an in-home program for dietary intake recordings of a very specified and specific population. The analysis proposed for the research consists of repeated-measures ANOVA, and between-group tests. If funded, the project is due to commence in early 2008.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of IQ Measures - This project was just recently launched (Nov. 2007), and is designed to assess the factor structure of the RIAS assessment tool. The project will consist of performing confirmatory factor analyses on IQ data, as well as multiple regression analyses in order to assess incremental validity for predicting a measure of child achievement. The project is being led by school psychologist Dr. Jason Nelson, Ph.D, NCSP of the University of Montana.

 

Recent Publications:

Denis, D., & Docherty, K. (2007). Late nineteenth century Britain: A social, political, and methodological context for the rise of multivariate statistics. Journale Electronique d’Histoire des Probabilités et de la Statistique, 3.

Denis, D. (2007). Study guide for Kirk, R. E., (2007). Statistics: An introduction. Thomson/Wadsworth: Belmont, CA.

Seekins, T., Bridges, S., Santa, A., Denis, D., & Hartsell, A. (2007). Faith based organizations: A potential partner in rural transportation. Journal of Public Transportation. 

Denis, D., & Legerski, J. (2006). Causal modeling and the origins of path analysis. Theory & Science, 7, 1. http://theoryandscience.icaap.org/content/vol7.1/denis.html

Friendly, M., & Denis, D. (2005). The early origins and development of the scatterplot. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 41, 103-130.

Denis, D. (2004). The Modern Hypothesis Testing Hybrid: R. A. Fisher’s Fading Influence. With Discussion by Michel Armatte, Bernard Bru, Michael Friendly, Jeff Gill, Ernest Kwan, Bruno Lecoutre, Marie-Paul Lecoutre, Jacques Poitevineau and Stephen Stigler. Journal de la Société Française de Statistique.

Denis, D. (2003). Alternatives to Null Hypothesis Significance Testing. Theory & Science, 4, 1. http://theoryandscience.icaap.org/content/vol4.1/02_denis.html

Denis, D. (2001). Inferring the Alternative Hypothesis: Risky Business. Theory & Science, 2, 1.http://theoryandscience.icaap.org/content/vol002.001/03denis.html

Denis, D. (2001). The Origins of Correlation and Regression: Francis Galton or Auguste Bravais and the Error Theorists? History and Philosophy of Psychology Bulletin, 13, 36-44.

Friendly, M., & Denis, D. (2001). The Roots and Branches of Modern Statistical Graphics. Journal de la Société Française de Statistique, 141, 51-60.

 

BOOK REVIEWS & COMMENTARIES

Denis, D. (2003). Review of David Salsburg's The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized the 20th Century. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 39, 322.

Denis, D. (2003). Review of Alain Desrosières's The Politics of Large Numbers: A History of Statistical Reasoning. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 39, 323.

Denis, D. (1999). Comment on null hypothesis significance testing. APA Monitor, Vol. 30.

 

Recent Presentations:

Denis, D. (2005). David Bakan and significance testing: Setting the record straight. David Bakan Memorial Symposium, Invited Address, Annual Convention of the American Psychological Convention, Washington, D.C. U.S.A.

Denis, D. (2005). The general linear model: A brief history. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C. U.S.A.

Denis, D. (2003). History of Path Analysis and Causal Modeling. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, CANADA.

Denis, D. (2002). Numerical Versus Graphical Solutions and the Reemergence of Graphical Approaches to Data Analysis. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, U.S.A.

Friendly, M. & Denis, D. (2002). Milestones in Data Visualization. Poster presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings, New York, U.S.A.

Harlow, L. & Denis, D. (2002). Engaging Others in Quantitative Psychology: Peer-Tutored Learning Communities in Quantitative Psychology: A Canadian Approach. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, U.S.A.

Denis, D. (2000). The Origins of Correlation and Regression: Francis Galton or Auguste Bravais and the Error Theorists? Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Ottawa, CANADA.

Denis, D. (1999). An Historical Overview of NHST. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Psychological Association, Halifax, CANADA.

Denis, D. (1999). Is Today's NHST Attributable to R. A. Fisher? Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, Boston, U.S.A.

 

Statistical Resources and Websites

Statistical Consulting Lab, University of Montana.

Friendly, M., & Denis, D. (2003). Milestones in the History of Thematic Cartography, Statistical Graphics, and Data Visualization: An Illustrated Chronology of Innovations.

Colloquia, Department of Psychology, University of Montana.

 

I. Professional Associations, Societies & Organizations


II. General Statistics & Quantitative Learning


III. Scholarly Journals & Archives


IV. Statistical Software


V. University Statistical & Quantitative Consulting Services

 

VI. Structural Equation Modeling

last revised 14 September 2008

Department of Psychology Main Site | The University of Montana Main Site