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Different Modelling Purposes

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Abstract

How one builds, checks, validates and interprets a model depends on its ‘purpose’. This is true even if the same model code is used for different purposes. This means that a model built for one purpose but then used for another needs to be re-justified for the new purpose and this will probably mean it also has to be re-checked, re-validated and maybe even re-built in a different way. Here we review some of the different purposes for a simulation model of complex social phenomena, focusing on seven in particular: prediction, explanation, description, theoretical exploration, illustration, analogy, and social interaction. The paper looks at some of the implications in terms of the ways in which the intended purpose might fail. This analysis motivates some of the ways in which these ‘dangers’ might be avoided or mitigated. It also looks at the ways that a confusion of modelling purposes can fatally weaken modelling projects, whilst giving a false sense of their quality. These distinctions clarify some previous debates as to the best modelling strategy (e.g. KISS and KIDS). The paper ends with a plea for modellers to be clear concerning which purpose they are justifying their model against.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruce Edmonds & Christophe Le Page & Mike Bithell & Edmund Chattoe-Brown & Volker Grimm & Ruth Meyer & Cristina Montañola-Sales & Paul Ormerod & Hilton Root & Flaminio Squazzoni, 2019. "Different Modelling Purposes," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 22(3), pages 1-6.
    • Handle: RePEc:jas:jasssj:2018-111-2
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    1. Warren Thorngate & Bruce Edmonds, 2013. "Measuring Simulation-Observation Fit: An Introduction to Ordinal Pattern Analysis," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 16(2), pages 1-4.
    2. Grimm, Volker & Berger, Uta & DeAngelis, Donald L. & Polhill, J. Gary & Giske, Jarl & Railsback, Steven F., 2010. "The ODD protocol: A review and first update," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 221(23), pages 2760-2768.
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    2. Emiliano Alvarez & Volker Grimm, 2024. "The added value of using the ODD Protocol for agent-based modeling in Economics: go for it!," Working Papers 307, Red Nacional de Investigadores en Economía (RedNIE).
    3. Chaitanya Kaligotla & Jonathan Ozik & Nicholson Collier & Charles M. Macal & Kelly Boyd & Jennifer Makelarski & Elbert S. Huang & Stacy T. Lindau, 2020. "Model Exploration of an Information-Based Healthcare Intervention Using Parallelization and Active Learning," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 23(4), pages 1-1.
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    5. Guus ten Broeke & Hilde Tobi, 2021. "Mapping validity and validation in modelling for interdisciplinary research," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 55(5), pages 1613-1630, October.
    6. ederico Bianchi & Flaminio Squazzoni, 2022. "Can transparency undermine peer review? A simulation model of scientist behavior under open peer review [Reviewing Peer Review]," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(5), pages 791-800.
    7. Zeng, Yongchao & Shi, Yingying & Shahbaz, Muhammad & Liu, Qin, 2024. "Scenario-based policy representative exploration: A novel approach to analyzing policy portfolios and its application to low-carbon energy diffusion," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    8. Arnold Overwater & Neil Yorke-Smith, 2022. "Agent-based simulation of short-term peer-to-peer rentals: Evidence from the Amsterdam housing market," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 49(1), pages 223-240, January.
    9. Cero, Ian & De Choudhury, Munmun & Wyman, Peter, 2023. "Social network structure as a suicide prevention target," OSF Preprints jmkzc, Center for Open Science.
    10. Nicholas R. Magliocca, 2020. "Agent-Based Modeling for Integrating Human Behavior into the Food–Energy–Water Nexus," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-25, December.
    11. Eduardo Ferraciolli & Tanya Araújo, 2023. "Agent-based Modeling and the Sociology of Money: a Framework for the Study of Coordination and Plurality," Working Papers REM 2023/0285, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    12. Troost, Christian & Huber, Robert & Bell, Andrew R. & van Delden, Hedwig & Filatova, Tatiana & Le, Quang Bao & Lippe, Melvin & Niamir, Leila & Polhill, J. Gareth & Sun, Zhanli & Berger, Thomas, 2023. "How to keep it adequate: A protocol for ensuring validity in agent-based simulation," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 159, pages 1-21.
    13. Bernardo Alves Furtado & Gustavo Onofre Andre~ao, 2022. "Machine Learning Simulates Agent-Based Model Towards Policy," Papers 2203.02576, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2022.

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