How does Social Science benefit from Complexity Theory and Computational Methods?

We explore complex systems inhabited by human beings. These systems are biological, social, cultural, technological and creative. Our method is to analyze the behavior of the inhabitants of these systems and their interactions. Many interactions are indirect with multiple causes and effects. Also, we construct computer models, synthesize virtual worlds, and run simulation experiments.

Our computational methods use software agents.

Systems might be teams, families, nations or companies. Agents inhabit these systems. The agents interact; they communicate; and they have minds of their own and models of their world. They use these models to learn and adapt. From myriad interactions arise complex emergent global patterns and structures (narratives, lives, cultures, economies and institutions).

Multi-agent virtual worlds serve as experimental laboratories to explore intuitions and "what-if" scenarios. We observe agents learning and adapting.

Also, models provide insights or predictions that can be validated and calibrated against real world data.

Results help us design better high-performing real-world systems with checks and balances. These systems are robust because they attend to: limited knowledge, distributed thinking, individual interaction, bounded rationality, subjective values, environmental change, and diverse world views.

Research here is exciting, vibrant and innovative. It addresses questions faced everyday by decision-makers in business and government.

We explore the implications of local actions for global patterns, and conversely, the influence of global structures on local behavior. Order and understanding come from chaos, competition, diversity, evolution and emergence.

Read the Daily Bruin article about HCS!