The Nature of Computer Simulation in the Social Sciences | ||
| مجلة كلية الآداب - جامعة القاهرة | ||
| Volume 2022, Issue 1, January 2022 | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jarts.2021.72050.1135 | ||
| Author | ||
| mena Sity Youssef Fanous | ||
| Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| In recent years, social science researchers have been much more interested in using computer simulation techniques to study phenomena such as the compatibility and separation of ethnic groups, the transmission of social norms and the spread of rumors and their effects on the stock exchange, virtual financial markets, regulatory policies, and others. Computer simulation has served as a substitute for actual experiments at times. This is particularly beneficial in the social field given the difficulty of manipulating humans and their behaviors freely at the discretion of the experimenter. It has also served as a technique for investigating detailed dynamics of systems, and as a guiding tool for developing hypotheses and models. This study investigates the nature, history, types, and uses of computer simulations commonly used in the social sciences. It also addresses the problems of its application within these fields and their advantages as well. This study emphasizes that despite the many methodological challenges of that application, computer simulations are of great importance when studying the problem of emergence and when they function as a virtual experimental tool. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| cellular automata; emergence; agent-based simulation; artificial society; complex systems | ||
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