1.1 Learning objectives

Students who followed this course will be able to critically evaluate whether their scientific inquiries can benefit from adopting theories, models, methods and analyses that were developed to study the dynamics of complex systems. The student will be able to understand in more detail the basics of formal theory evaluation, and be able to recognize, interpret and deduce theoretical accounts of human behaviour that are based on component-dominant versus interaction-dominant ontology.

Students will be able to use the basic mathematical models and analyses that allow study of complex interaction-dominant behaviour. Students who finish the course will be able to conduct analyses in Excel, SPSS, and R or Matlab and interpret the results from basic (non-)linear time series methods. At the end of this course, students have reached a level of understanding that allows them to find relevant scientific sources and understand and follow up on new developments in the complex systems approach to behavioural science.

Goals Summary

• Read and understand papers that use a complex systems approach to study human behaviour.
• Simulate the basic dynamical models.
• Perform the basic analyses.