2.2 Reading

Reference

Smaldino, P. E. (2017). Models are stupid, and we need more of them. In R.R. Vallacher, S.J. Read, & A. Nowakt (Eds.), Computational Social Psychology (pp. 311–331). New York: Routledge.

SKIP PAGES 322 - 327

Questions

1. What are the differences between a “verbal model” and a “formal model”?
2. As explained in the paragraph “A Brief Note on Statistical Models”, formal models are not the same as statistical models. Still, we can learn a lot from Smaldino’s approach. Write down three insights from this paper that you would like to apply to your statistical modeling during this course.

Suggested Reading (Optional)

The following paper is not required, but it’s definitely worth a read. Breiman provides a very interesting perspective on different ways to approach a modeling-based analysis.

Breiman, L. (2001). Statistical Modeling: The Two Cultures (with comments and a rejoinder by the author). Statistical Science, 16(3) 199–231. https://doi.org/10.1214/ss/1009213726