Describes for those with a limited mathematical background the methods of analysis most useful in the social sciences Brings together a variety of latent variable methods and provides the software to implement them Offers many real examples drawn from varied applied studies Focuses on continuous and categorical data Supports the text with a Web site containing data sets and selected code for use with SPSS Multivariate analysis is an important tool for social researchers, but the subject is broad and can be quite technical for those with limited mathematical and statistical backgrounds. To effectively acquire the tools and techniques they need to interpret multivariate data, social science students need clear explanations, a minimum of mathematical detail, and a wide range of exercises and worked examples