Communicating Social Simulation Models to Sceptical Minds

Annie Waldherr () and Nanda Wijermans ()
Additional contact information
Annie Waldherr: http://www.polsoz.fu-berlin.de/en/kommwiss/institut/kommunikationstheorie/mitarbeiterinnen/awaldherr/index.html

Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 2013, vol. 16, issue 4, 13

Abstract: When talking to fellow modellers about the feedback we get on our simulation models the conversation quickly shifts to anecdotes of rejective scepticism. Many of us experience that they get only few remarks, and especially only little helpful constructive feedback on their simulation models. In this forum paper, we give an overview and reflections on the most common criticisms experienced by ABM modellers. Our goal is to start a discussion on how to respond to criticism, and particularly rejective scepticism, in a way that makes it help to improve our models and consequently also increase acceptance and impact of our work. We proceed by identifying common criticism on agent-based modelling and social simulation methods and show where it shifts to rejection. In the second part, we reflect on the reasons for rejecting the agent-based approach, which we mainly locate in a lack of understanding on the one hand, and academic territorialism on the other hand. Finally, we also give our personal advice to socsim modellers of how to deal with both forms of rejective criticism.

Keywords: Social Simulation; Agent-Based Modelling; Rejective Criticism; Constructive Feedback; Communication; Peer Support (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-10-31
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.jasss.org/16/4/13/13.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:jas:jasssj:2013-3-2

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation from Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Francesco Renzini ().