Mechanistic models in computational social science

Frontiers in Physics

Liljeros, Fredrik¹  Holme, Petter² 

[1] Stockholm University, Department of Sociology, Stockholm, 10691, Sweden;Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Energy Science, Suwon, 440-746, South Korea

关键词: computational social science;    mechanistic models;    simulation;    complex systems;    Interdisciplinary science;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fphy.2015.00078

学科分类：物理（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Quantitative social science is not only about regression analysis or, in general, data inference. Computer simulations of social mechanisms have an over 60 years long history. They have been used for many different purposes—to test scenarios, to test the consistency of descriptive theories (proof-of-concept models), to explore emergent phenomena, for forecasting, etc. In this essay, we sketch these historical developments, the role of mechanistic models in the social sciences and the influences from the natural and formal sciences. We argue that mechanistic computational models form a natural common ground for social and natural sciences, and look forward to possible future information flow across the social-natural divide.

【 授权许可】

CC BY