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Computational sociology is a recently developed branch of sociology that uses computation to analyze social phenomena.[1] The basic premise of computational sociology is to take advantage of computer simulation in the construction of social theories. It involves the understanding of social agents, the interaction among these agents, and the effect of these interactions on the social aggregate. Although the subject matter and methodologies in social science differ from those in natural science or computer science, several of the approaches used in contemporary social simulation originated from fields such as physics and artificial intelligence.[2] [3] Conversely, some of the approaches that originated in this field have been imported into the natural sciences (most notably, measures of betweenness centrality from Social Network Analysis).
In relevant literature, computational sociology is often related to the study of social complexity. [4] Social complexity concepts such as complex systems, non-linear interconnection among macro and micro process, and emergence, have entered the vocabulary of computational sociology.[5] A practical and well-known example is the construction of a computational model in the form of an "artificial society," by which researchers can analyze the structure of a social system.[6][7]
See also
- Artificial Society
- Important publications in computational sociology
- Simulated reality
- Social simulation
References
- ^ Gilbert N, Troitzsch K (2005) Simulation for Social Scientists, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Open University Press
- ^ Epstein JM, Axell R (1996) Growing Artificial Societies: Social Science from the Bottom Up. Washington DC: Brookings Institute Press.
- ^ Axelrod R (1997) The Complexity of Cooperation: Agent-Based Models of Competition and Collaboration. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
- ^ Casti J (1999) The Computer as Laboratory: Toward a Theory of Complex Adaptive Systems. Complexity 4(5): 12-14.
- ^ Goldspink C (2002) Methodological Implications of Complex Systems Approaches to Sociality: Simulation as a Foundation for Knowledge. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 5(1). Accessed 4 July 2004
- ^ Gilbert N, Troitzsch K (2005) Simulation for Social Scientists, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Open University Press
- ^ Epstein J (2007) Generative Social Science: Studies in Agent-Based Computational Modeling. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
External links
- On-line book "Simulation for the Social Scientist" by Nigel Gilbert and Klaus G. Troitzsch, 1999, second edition 2005
- Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation
- Computational Sociology Tutorial in Bandung Fe Institute compiled by Hokky Situngkir (available in Indonesian/Bahasa Melayu)
- From Factors to Actors: Computational Sociology and Agent-based Modeling - Review by Michael Macy and Robert Willer
