In this course, the introduction to statistics and data analysis is presented with an unusual emphasis: The goal is to "See what your data seem to say" (Tukey, Exploratory Data Analysis).

When you look at your data with the power provided by computer-based statistical visualization, you can gain an intuitive understanding of your data. Such an intuitive visual understanding complements the classical approach to understanding data, which is based on the mathematics of probabity and inference. Both classical and visual statistics are taught in this course.

Prof. Young has spent the last decade developing ViSta, a Visual Statistics system. This system uses visual methods to reveal information in your data; to structure your data analysis experience; and to guide you through complex data analyses. Based on theories embeded in cognitive-science and artificial-intelligence, ViSta is designed to augment your ability to intuitively understand data. This is the third year that Prof. Young has used ViSta in this course.