Introduction to Computational Social Science : Principles and Applications

Description

This textbook provides a comprehensive and reader-friendly introduction to the field of computational social science (CSS). Presenting a unified treatment, the text examines in detail the four key methodological approaches of automated social information extraction, social network analysis, social complexity theory, and social simulation modeling. This updated new edition has been enhanced with numerous review questions and exercises to test what has been learned, deepen understanding through problem-solving, and to practice writing code to implement ideas. Topics and features: contains more than a thousand questions and exercises, together with a list of acronyms and a glossary; examines the similarities and differences between computers and social systems; presents a focus on automated information extraction; discusses the measurement, scientific laws, and generative theories of social complexity in CSS; reviews the methodology of social simulations, covering both variable- and object-oriented models. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxxvi Introduction (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 1-33 Computation and Social Science (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 35-102 Automated Information Extraction (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 103-140 Social Networks (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 141-192 Social Complexity I: Origins and Measurement (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 193-246 Social Complexity II: Laws (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 247-289 Social Complexity III: Theories (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 291-373 Simulations I: Methodology (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 375-414 Simulations II: Variable-Oriented Models (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 415-454 Simulations III: Object-Oriented Models (Claudio Cioffi-Revilla)....Pages 455-511 Back Matter ....Pages 513-607