This paper provides a framework for discussing the empirical validation of computer simulation models of market phenomena. It considers first a simulation model of a market of competing coffee brands to ask some questions about the purposes and practices of simulation modeling. It defines functional complexity and derives measures of this for Schelling’s Segregation model. It refers to the Ener...

The range of dialectometric methods suggests the need for validation work. We propose a gold standard, based on the consensual classification of a well-studied area. Fidelity to the gold standard is assessed via matrix overlap measures (Rand and Fowlkes/Mallows). Word-based techniques in which varieties are compared to each other directly emerge as superior.

Coh-Metrix is a computer program that analyzes various text features relevant to text comprehension by incorporating techniques informed by theories of text processing, cognitive psychology, and computational linguistics. Three key classes of cohesion indices (i.e., coreference, conceptual relations, connectivity) measured by Coh-Metrix are evaluated with texts used in published studies of cohe...

The use of computational models in the social sciences has grown quickly in the past decade. For many these models represent a bewildering and possibly intimidating approach to examining data and developing social and organizational theory. Few researchers have had courses or personal experience in the development and building of computational models and even fewer have an understanding of how ...

Climate models as predictive tools Given the unreliability of even relatively shortterm weather forecasting, how useful are climate models that project as far as a century into the future? The answer to this question depends on the needs of the model user. In general, climate model outputs simulate both the predictable and the unpredictable nature of climate. They are intended to predict overal...

Planetary exploration missions often have the capability of collecting more data volume than the mission is allocated in downlink bandwidth. Currently, instruments often collect and transmit data at a rate that equals their bit limit, remaining idle much of the remaining time. One scenario to take advantage of instrument capability is to permit continuous data collection and to autonomously sel...

We present some ideas on self-validating (SV) methods. This note is especially intended to give some background for the articles in this special volume of LAA. It is not intended to be a survey of the big variety of all possible aspects of SV-methods but rather a summary of some basic concepts. Especially, some common misconceptions are mentioned and explored.