About the Event :

This seminar will discuss how to use survey data more effectively in drawing causal inference. With survey data have become widely available, researchers have abundant opportunities to address important academic and public issues. However, improper use of statistical models could mislead us drawing wrong conclusions. In this seminar, we will discuss the confounding issues for testing a causal relationship and introduce the reduced form models for revealing intervening mechanisms that link between causes and effects. We will also discuss the dummy variable approach for modelling group differences, such as those produced by sex and social classes, and the methods for handling nonlinear effects. Examples will be given to demonstrate the applications of statistical methods in various situations.

Facilitator(s) :

Prof Ting Kwok Fai , Emeritus Professor, Department of Sociology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong 

Prof Ting Kwok Fai is a sociologist and an Emeritus Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He completed his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and began his research career in structural equation modelling. More recently, he has been working on issues pertaining to marriage and family, particularly the marital and inter-generational relationships in Hong Kong. Prof Ting founded the Centre for Chinese Family Studies in 2008 and served as its director until 2014. He is an enthusiast for promoting rigorous research, conducting numerous research seminars on survey methodology and statistical methods.

Objectives :

This seminar aims to:

• provide a quick review on fundamental statistical concepts and models for learning advanced data analysis skills;
• facilitate the participants to select appropriate statistical methods for data analysis in real life situation; and
• illustrate modelling techniques for causal analysis with empirical data.

Target Audience :

All VTC Staff

Enquiry :

Miss LEE Man Wai, Charlotte
Project Officer
Tel: 2836-1952
E-mail: c.lee@vtc.edu.hk

Resources :

PowerPoint