Big data in social and psychological science: theoretical and methodological issues

Lin Qiu (), Sarah Hian May Chan and David Chan
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Lin Qiu: Nanyang Technological University
Sarah Hian May Chan: Nanyang Technological University
David Chan: Singapore Management University

Journal of Computational Social Science, 2018, vol. 1, issue 1, No 5, 59-66

Abstract: Abstract Big data presents unprecedented opportunities to understand human behavior on a large scale. It has been increasingly used in social and psychological research to reveal individual differences and group dynamics. There are a few theoretical and methodological challenges in big data research that require attention. In this paper, we highlight four issues, namely data-driven versus theory-driven approaches, measurement validity, multi-level longitudinal analysis, and data integration. They represent common problems that social scientists often face in using big data. We present examples of these problems and propose possible solutions.

Keywords: Big data; Computational social science; Psychology; Social science; Social media; Methodology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s42001-017-0013-6

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