Santa Fe Institute

Formal Modeling and Simulations in Social Sciences

• Instructor(s): TBA
• Institution: UCLA
• Category: Social Science
• Description: Lecture, three hours. Exploration of different approaches to modeling empiri- cal phenomena of concern to social sciences. Topics include utility models, learning models, decision models, group competition models, and evolutionary models. Use of multiagent computer simulations and group exercises to explore emergent behaviors among individuals interacting according to models for behavior. Discussion of advantages and drawbacks of more traditional mathematical modeling. Review of alternative forms of formal representations of hypothesized processes and issues related to verification of simulations. P/NP or letter grading.