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A Dialogue on the Role of Computational Modeling in Developmental Science
Author(s) -
Simmering Vanessa R.,
Triesch Jochen,
Deák Gedeon O.,
Spencer John P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2010.00134.x
Subject(s) - complement (music) , cognitive science , variety (cybernetics) , psychology , computational model , developmental science , behavioural sciences , epistemology , cognitive psychology , computer science , artificial intelligence , developmental psychology , biology , biochemistry , philosophy , complementation , gene , psychotherapist , phenotype
— All sciences use models of some variety to understand complex phenomena. In developmental science, however, modeling is mostly limited to linear, algebraic descriptions of behavioral data. Some researchers have suggested that complex mathematical models of developmental phenomena are a viable (even necessary) tool that provide fertile ground for developing and testing theory as well as for generating new hypotheses and predictions. This article explores the concerns, attitudes, and historical trends that underlie the tension between two cultures: one in which computational simulations of behavior are an important complement to observation and experimentation and another that emphasizes evidence from behavioral experiments and linear models enhanced by verbal descriptions. This tension is explored as a dialogue among three characters: Ed (Experimental Developmentalist), Mira (Modeling Inclusive Research Advocate), and Phil (Philosopher of Science).