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Staged models for interdisciplinary research

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Lafuerza, Luis F., Dyson, Louise, Edmonds, Bruce and McKane, Alan J. (2016) Staged models for interdisciplinary research. PLoS One, 11 (6). e0157261. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157261

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0157261

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Abstract

Modellers of complex biological or social systems are often faced with an invidious choice: to use simple models with few mechanisms that can be fully analysed, or to construct complicated models that include all the features which are thought relevant. The former ensures rigour, the latter relevance. We discuss a method that combines these two approaches, beginning with a complex model and then modelling the complicated model with simpler models. The resulting “chain” of models ensures some rigour and relevance. We illustrate this process on a complex model of voting intentions, constructing a reduced model which agrees well with the predictions of the full model. Experiments with variations of the simpler model yield additional insights which are hidden by the complexity of the full model. This approach facilitated collaboration between social scientists and physicists—the complex model was specified based on the social science literature, and the simpler model constrained to agree (in core aspects) with the complicated model.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: Q Science > Q Science (General)
Q Science > QA Mathematics
Divisions: Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- )
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Interdisciplinary research, Interdisciplinary research--Mathematical models, Stochastic models
Journal or Publication Title: PLoS One
Publisher: Public Library of Science
ISSN: 1932-6203
Official Date: 30 June 2016
Dates:
DateEvent
30 June 2016Published
26 May 2016Accepted
20 February 2016Submitted
Volume: 11
Number: 6
Article Number: e0157261
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157261
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access
Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Grant number: 392 EP/H02171X
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