There has been a surge of interest in methods of analysing data that typically arise from surveys of various kinds of experiments in which the number of people, animals, places or objects occupying various categories are counted. Such observations are known variously as category counts, contingency tables, or cross-tabulated or cross-classified categorical data. In this textbook, first published in 1984, Dr Fingleton describes some techniques centred on the log-linear model from the perspective of the social, behavioural and environmental scientist. His aim is to provide a route from conceptual appreciation to the practicalities of fitting models to data, and he therefore gives some consideration to appropriate computer software. The emphasis throughout is on data analysis and interpretation. Recently developed methods are clearly explained and mathematics has been kept to a minimum.

There has been a surge of interest in methods of analysing data that typically arise from surveys of various kinds of experiments in which the number of people, animals, places or objects occupying various categories are counted. Such observations are known variously as category counts, contingency tables, or cross-tabulated or cross-classified categorical data. In this textbook, first published in 1984, Dr Fingleton describes some techniques centred on the log-linear model from the perspective of the social, behavioural and environmental scientist. His aim is to provide a route from conceptual appreciation to the practicalities of fitting models to data, and he therefore gives some consideration to appropriate computer software. The emphasis throughout is on data analysis and interpretation. Recently developed methods are clearly explained and mathematics has been kept to a minimum.