Academic Computing | Staff | Robert A. Yaffee

Robert A. Yaffee, Ph.D.

Senior Research/Statistical Consultant
Statistics,Social Science, and Mapping Group
Academic Computing Services
Information Technology Services
New York University

Role in the Statistics and Social Science Group

I'm a member of the Statistics and Social Science Group. Our group assists students, research staff, and faculty with research questions, statistics, statistical programming and procuring data sets. We hold lectures and workshops in the theory and programming of statistical packages. Among the packages we teach are SAS, STATA, S-PLUS, and SPSS. We give lectures on popular applications of these packages to contemporary problems. Frank Lopresti gives lectures on Geographical Information Systems. In the past at ACS, I have taught Box-Jenkins time series analysis, regression analysis of time series, event history analysis, categorical data analysis, and structural equation modeling with LISREL.

From time to time, I write an article for the Information Technology Services semester magazine, "Connect," about new developments in statistical computing for the social sciences. Occasionally, these articles will deal with theoretical developments. Usually, they deal with their implementation in statistical programs or packages available or about to become available at NYU. Some of the articles I have written on focus on linear structural equation modeling, exponential smoothing, time series analysis, neural networks, impact (intervention) analysis of the Watergate scandal, hierarchical linear models, software for complex sampling designs, power analysis, as well as NYU adoptions of S-PLUS and enhancements to statistical packages.

In addition, I serve as the Official Representative of New York University to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research and assist in the development of the Statistics and Social Science Group Web site, where we maintain introductory documentation along with some more specialized documentation on the use of statistical packages on the NYU computer systems and a system of links to social science resources on the world wide web.

At other times, we write documentation for the statistical packages that would be helpful to users. For example, in recent versions of SPSS for windows, there are multiple applications of correlation analysis. For this reason, I have written Common Correlation and Reliability Analysis with SPSS for Windows and versions 8 through 11 of SPSS/Windows contain intraclass correlation coefficients, documentation for which I have written in Enhancement of Reliability Analysis: Applications of Intraclass Correlations Using SPSS. For users interested in statistical package applications of robust regression analysis, I have written an article about Robust Regression Analysis: Some Popular Statistical Package Options.

More general documentation of other packages that I have written includes a Getting Started with STATA for MS Windows, a primer for those who would like to use this powerful and versatile package, and An Introduction to LIMDEP for researchers and students wanting to use Professor Greene's Econometrics package. For those interested in learning S-Plus, I have written An S-Plus Primer and for persons interested in doing regression analysis with S-Plus, I have written some Regression analysis with S-Plus class notes. For medical researchers interested in the analysis of diffusion of disease, I have also written Elementary Epidemiological Data Analysis with STATA to help them get started with cohort study and case-control analysis. For persons interested in panel data analysis, I have written A Primer for Panel Data Analysis, with the hope that these tutorials and articles will be of considerable help in teaching students, researchers, and faculty some of the new approaches and techniques being applied in the social, natural, and mathematical sciences.

Recent Publications

Statistics

1992 Austin, J.T., Yaffee, R.A. & Hinkle, D. E. "Logistic Regression analysis for Research in Higher

Education," in Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, (1992) vol VIII. Bronx,NY: Agathon Press, Inc., 397-410.

1996 Yaffee, R.A., "A Basic Guide to Statistical Research and Discovery: Planning and Selecting Statistical Analyses,"

in Leong, F.T. & Austin, J.T. eds. (1996) The Psychology Research Handbook. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 193-207.

2000 Yaffee, R.A. with McGee, M. An Introduction to Time Series Analysis and Forecasting with Applications of SAS and SPSS

San Diego: Academic Press, Inc. A 528 page textbook with theory and programs, the programs and data sets for which are posted on the Academic

Press, Inc. web site. Printed in April and distributed in May, 2000.

Medical Research

1994 Auer, S.R., Sclan, S.G., Yaffee, R.A. & and Reisberg, B. 'The Neglected Half of Alzheimer's Disease: Cognitive and Functional Concomitants of

Severe Dimentia," Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 42, 1994, 1266-1272.

Psychosocial Research

1986 Lorenz, V.C. and Yaffee, R.A. "Psychosomatic, Emotional and Marital Difficulties as Reported by the Gambler,"

Journal of Gambling Behavior, 2, Spring, 1986, 40-49.

1988 Lorenz, V.C. and Yaffee, R.A. "Psychosomatic, Emotional and Martial Difficulties as reported by the Spouse,"

Journal of Gambling Behavior, 4, Spring, 1988, 13-26.

1989 Lorenz, V.C. and Yaffee, R.A. "Pathological Gamblers and Their Spouses: Problems in Interaction,"

Journal of Gambling Behavior, 5, 1989, 113-126.

1993 Yaffee, R.A., Lorenz, V.C. & Politzer, R.M. "Models Explaining Gambling Severity among Patients Undergoing Treatment in Maryland:

1983 through 1989 in Eadington, W. & Cornelius, J.,eds. (1993)Gambling Behavior and Problem Gambling. Reno: Unversity of Nevada at Reno Press,

637-677.

1997 Yaffee, R. A. "A Methodological Critique of Kearney et al.'s (1996) Casino Gambling in Private School and Adjudicated Youngsters."

Journal of Gambling Studies, 13(1), Spring, 1997, 85-90.

1997 Yaffee, R.A. & Brodsky, V.J. "Recommendations for Research and Public Policy in Gambling Studies."

Journal of Gambling Studies. 13(4), Winter, 1997, 309-316.

2002 Yaffee, R.A., Politzer, R.M., and Lorenz, V.C.. "Gambling Addiction Severity: Implications for Theory and Policy"

In Marotta, J.J., Cornelius, J.A., and Eadington, W.R. (Eds.)

The Downside: Problem and Pathological Gambling. Reno: The Institute for Gambling and Commerical Gaming,

pp. 149-178.

Longitudinal Research in Progress

Time series analysis projects.

Hierarchical models and growth curve models

using SAS Proc Mixed, NLMixed, HLM, and S-Plus lme and nlme for ecological and epidemiological analysis.

Statistical solutions for censored and missing data in longitudinal research.

Past Research

1978-1981 Arms Control Research

1981-1987 Campaign Contributors to 1976 Presidential Candidates, Doctoral dissertation.

1985-1986 Statistical programmer for The Analysis Group, Inc., New Haven, Ct.

1987-1988 Statistician, Department of Social Work Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

1988-1989 Associate Research Scientist, Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University School of Public Health.

1989-1990 Statistical Consultant to Maryland Task Force on Gambling Addiction, Baltimore, Md.

1990 Co-author of the Final Report of the Maryland Task Force on Gambling Addiction

1987-1988 Statistical consultant, Maryland Task Force on Gambling Addiction.

1990 Lorenz, V.C., Politzer, R.M. and Yaffee, R. A. "Final Report of the Maryland Task Force on Gambling Addiction".

1990 Yaffee, R.A., "A Profile of Pathological Gamblers Undergoing Treatment in the State of Maryland: 1983 through 1989."

-Appendix E of the Final Report of the Maryland Task Force on Gambling Addiction.

1990 Yaffee, R.A. "Severity of Compulsive Gambling and Coaddiction in Maryland"

- Appendix F of the Final Report of the Maryland Task Force on Gambling Addiction

1990 Yaffee, R.A. and Politzer, R.M. "A Review of Prevalence Estimates"- Appendix G of the

Final Report of the Maryland Task Force on Gambling Addiction.

1991-1994, Director of Research for the Compulsive Gambling Center, Inc., Baltimore, Md.

1994-1995 Yaffee, R. A. and Austin, J.T. "Discrete Time Event History Models for Higher Education

Research"- paper presented to Sociology Methodology Workshop at NYU, March 1995.

Past Teaching

1985-1986 Hunter College Computer Science Department, taught Statistical Packages and PL/C.

1987-1988 Hunter College, Sociology Department, Masters of Social Research program,

taught advanced statistics and workshop in empirical research.

1988-1989 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Social Work Research, taught advanced

statistics.

Peer Reviewer

1986-1990 Journal of Gambling Behavior

1990-1994, 1997-2003 Journal of Gambling Studies

Editorial Board

1996-2003 Journal of Gambling Studies

Education

Degrees

1987 Ph.D. in Political Science Graduate Faculty: The New School for Social Research

1976 M.A. in Political Science Graduate Faculty: The New School for Social Research

1968 M.A. in History. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: New York University

1965 B.A. in History. Lehigh University.

Honors and Awards:

1989-1992,1994-1995: ICPSR Visiting Scholar Fellowships.

1964: Phi Alpha Theta: National History Honorary

Statistical Packages Experience

SAS, SPSS, STATA, S-PLUS, SUDAAN, LIMDEP, EVIEWS, PCGIVE, PCGETS, STAMP, TSP, PRELIS, LISREL

Addresses:

My office is located at
75 Third Avenue Computer lab
Level C-3
New York, New York

My mailing address is
Academic Computing Services
Information Technology Services
New York University
251 Mercer Street
New York, New York, 10012
Phone: (212) 998-3402
Fax: (212) 995-4120
E-mail: robert.yaffee@nyu.edu

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