More-than-Human Sociology is a call for a bolder, more creative sociology. Olli Pyyhtinen argues that to make sociology responsive to life in the 21st century we need a new sociological imagination, one that addresses connectivity, understands the world in which we live as both a human and non-human world, and is sensitive to the multiple scales on which things exist. A fresh and innovative take on the promise of sociology, this book will appeal to scholars and students both within sociology and the social sciences more broadly.

In this book, Fattorello addresses the differences between contingent and non-contingent information. The theory is translated into English for the first time and is contextualized and put into a historical framework by Prof. Ragnetti's additional text.

"Understanding Complex Urban Systems" takes as its point of departure the insight that the challenges of global urbanization and the complexity of urban systems cannot be understood let alone managed by sectoral and disciplinary approaches alone. But while there has recently been significant progress in broadening and refining the methodologies for the quantitative modeling of complex urban systems, in deepening the theoretical understanding of cities as complex systems, or in illuminating the implications for urban planning, there is still a lack of well-founded conceptual thinking on the methodological foundations and the strategies of modeling urban complexity across the disciplines.

Bringing together experts from the fields of urban and spatial planning, ecology, urban geography, real estate analysis, organizational cybernetics, stochastic optimization, and literary studies, as well as specialists in various systems approaches and in transdisciplinary methodologies of urban analysis, the volume seeks to advance the discussion on multidisciplinary approaches to urban modeling. While engaging with the state of the art in their respective fields, the contributions are specifically written for both experts from a broad range of disciplines as well as for urban practitioners who feel the need for new approaches given the uncertainty of current developments.

Show business is a multimillion dollar business, and its celebrities and sports figures are the most famous people on earth. Yet, most entertainers are neither rich nor famous. In "Life upon the Wicked Stage," author Jacqueline Boles provides an academic portrait of live performers and offers insight into their unique world.

Based on the biographies and autobiographies of one hundred and seventeen American show people, "Life upon the Wicked Stage" delves into the lives of entertainers-musicians, singers, dancers, comics, and variety artists. This sociological study first shares the history of show business from its beginnings to present-day, where the public's fascination with entertainers and celebrities is avid. Then, Boles analyzes the entertainers and their family backgrounds, investigates their reasons for choosing entertainment, and explores their career patterns. This study also shows the affects that show business has on family and relationships, and it discusses the costs and rewards of life as a performer.

"Life upon the Wicked Stage" illustrates that live entertainment has changed dramatically over the last one hundred and fift y years while remaining remarkably unchanged. Boles communicates that the show must go on.

Podcasting for Teachers is the first volume of a new series from Dr. Kathleen P. King and Mark Gura- Emerging Technologies for Evolving Learners and is based on their successful educational technology podcast, Podcast for Teachers, Techpod (sm). Their podcast work has reached over 600,000 people as of 9/06 and branched into virtual seminars, and additional innovations. This book introduces and explains this important new technology from the perspective of educators. It also provides new insights into the ways that technology can provide solutions to instructional needs that have not been sufficiently addressed until now. Not only does it provide concrete explanations, examples, models, and details about methods and resources that are not currently illustrated in other publications, but it also reveals a new rationale for the use of technology in education. This book helps readers apprehend critical issues essential to understanding and taking advantage of podcasting and related technologies as an educational resource: . What podcasting is . How ""to do"" podcasting . How to plan podcasting-based activities for students . How to create podcasts as teaching resources .How to use podcasting for professional development . Models developed specifically by the authors regarding: . Podcast development . Educators' learning curve in podcasting . Cost/benefit decision making regarding podcasting projects K - 12 school district directors of curriculum and instruction and directors of professional development, as well as classroom teachers, principals, and instructional supervisors across the core curriculum and in the area of Instructional Technology; and teacher educators and other college faculty will find this book a valuable resource. Readers may use the book as part of their own efforts to expand their teaching or staff development practice. It can also be an important resource for Education courses in content instruction and Instructional Technology and serve as a valuable reference for educators interested in educational applications of technology.

This book integrates current advances in biology, economics of information and linguistics research through applications using agent-based modeling and social network analysis to develop scenarios of communication and language emergence in the social aspects of biological communications. The book presents a model of communication emergence that can be applied both to human and non-human living organism networks. The model is based on economic concepts and individual behavior fundamental for the study of trust and reputation networks in social science, particularly in economics; it is also based on the theory of the emergence of norms and historical path dependence that has been influential in institutional economics. Also included are mathematical models and code for agent-based models to explore various scenarios of language evolution, as well as a computer application that explores language and communication in biological versus social organisms, and the emergence of various meanings and grammars in human networks. Emergence of Communication in Socio-Biological Networks offers both a completely novel approach to communication emergence and language evolution and provides a path for the reader to explore various scenarios of language and communication that are not constrained to the human networks alone. By illustrating how computational social science and the complex systems approach can incorporate multiple disciplines and offer an integrated theory-model approach to the evolution of language, the book will be of interest to researchers working with computational linguistics, mathematical linguistics, and complex systems.

This book on statistical disclosure control presents the theory, applications and software implementation of the traditional approach to (micro)data anonymization, including data perturbation methods, disclosure risk, data utility, information loss and methods for simulating synthetic data. Introducing readers to the R packages sdcMicro and simPop, the book also features numerous examples and exercises with solutions, as well as case studies with real-world data, accompanied by the underlying R code to allow readers to reproduce all results. The demand for and volume of data from surveys, registers or other sources containing sensible information on persons or enterprises have increased significantly over the last several years. At the same time, privacy protection principles and regulations have imposed restrictions on the access and use of individual data. Proper and secure microdata dissemination calls for the application of statistical disclosure control methods to the da ta before release. This book is intended for practitioners at statistical agencies and other national and international organizations that deal with confidential data. It will also be interesting for researchers working in statistical disclosure control and the health sciences.

The book studies the existing and potential connections between Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) by showing how standard SNA techniques, usually based on graph theory, can be supplemented by FCA methods, which rely on lattice theory. The book presents contributions to the following areas: acquisition of terminological knowledge from social networks, knowledge communities, individuality computation, other types of FCA-based analysis of bipartite graphs (two-mode networks), multimodal clustering, community detection and description in one-mode and multi-mode networks, adaptation of the dual-projection approach to weighted bipartite graphs, extensions to the Kleinberg's HITS algorithm as well as attributed graph analysis.

The three parts of this book on survey methodology combine an introduction to basic sampling theory, engaging presentation of topics that reflect current research trends, and informed discussion of the problems commonly encountered in survey practice. These related aspects of survey methodology rarely appear together under a single connected roof, making this book a unique combination of materials for teaching, research and practice in survey sampling. Basic knowledge of probability theory and statistical inference is assumed, but no prior exposure to survey sampling is required. The first part focuses on the design-based approach to finite population sampling. It contains a rigorous coverage of basic sampling designs, related estimation theory, model-based prediction approach, and model-assisted estimation methods. The second part stems from original research conducted by the authors as well as important methodological advances in the field during the past three decades. Topics include calibration weighting methods, regression analysis and survey weighted estimating equation (EE) theory, longitudinal surveys and generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis, variance estimation and resampling techniques, empirical likelihood methods for complex surveys, handling missing data and non-response, and Bayesian inference for survey data. The third part provides guidance and tools on practical aspects of large-scale surveys, such as training and quality control, frame construction, choices of survey designs, strategies for reducing non-response, and weight calculation. These procedures are illustrated through real-world surveys. Several specialized topics are also discussed in detail, including household surveys, telephone and web surveys, natural resource inventory surveys, adaptive and network surveys, dual-frame and multiple frame surveys, and analysis of non-probability survey samples. This book is a self-contained introduction to survey sampling that provides a strong theoretical base with coverage of current research trends and pragmatic guidance and tools for conducting surveys.

This is the first volume addressing the importance of teaching quality of life theory and methodology in different domains: social sciences, philosophy, sociology, political science, marketing, education, urbanism, statistics, economics, online learning, public health, sports, and constraint contexts in terms of their relationship with the Capability Approach. The chapters are written by important authors from Europe, North America, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Oceania, and present the syllabus and references of courses, making this volume important and necessary to university professors, students as well as teachers in general.

The representation of abstract data and ideas can be a difficult and tedious task to handle when learning new concepts; however, the advances of emerging technology have allowed for new methods of representing such conceptual data. The Handbook of Research on Maximizing Cognitive Learning through Knowledge Visualization focuses on the use of visualization technologies to assist in the process of better comprehending scientific concepts, data, and applications. Highlighting the utilization of visual power and the roles of sensory perceptions, computer graphics, animation, and digital storytelling, this book is an essential reference source for instructors, engineers, programmers, and software developers interested in the exchange of information through the visual depiction of data. The many academic areas covered in this publication include, but are not limited to: Electronic Media Mathematical Thinking Multisensory Applications Sensory Extension

Immigration to America is an issue that often sparks intense emotional reactions from passion and compassion to anger and even rage. Often missing from the dialogue, however, is discussion of the strengths of immigrant newcomers the abilities and positive characteristics they bring as individuals and families to our country, and how these contribute to the agency, growth, and vitality of America. This book was intended to move the discussion of immigration, generally speaking, and of immigrant families specifically, to include how and in what ways new immigrants to America (those arriving within the past thirty years) have changed the social and geocultural landscape of this country in positive, beneficial, and valuable ways. The book is comprised of nineteen chapters written by scholars with expertise on immigrant families representing every corner of the globe from Africa and India to Europe and Central America. In each chapter, the unique factors, processes, and worldviews which help shape and mold the immigrant experience are articulated, as are the strengths immigrant newcomers bring to America. In addition, beyond explicating the strengths of immigrant families, each of the nineteen contributing chapters focuses on the implications of these strengths for families, communities, and the culture. Thus, the book provides a springboard from which to answer the application and "what now" questions for those who work with immigrant families in a variety of capacities from academicians and researchers to educators and human-service providers."

Copernicus and Galileo's sun-centered model of the solar system gave us our view of space. Newton and Einstein's mechanical and electromagnetic models of the universe gave us our view of nature. Can the human condition be captured with a similarly universal model? Author Lawrence H. Taub believes so, and he develops three of them-age, sex, and caste-to reveal the deeper currents of history. The models presented in "The Spiritual Imperative" clarify the past, explain the present, and help anticipate the future. Taub uses these models to make insightful forecasts of future discontinuities that answer the major questions facing us today. Some of his predictions include: a regional political-economic block formed in the Far East and what this will mean to the world an alliance between the U.S. and Russia and how this will develop Israeli-Palestinian peace leading to a Pan-Semitic Union that will make the Middle East one of two main world centers of economic, political, and spiritual power in the mid-twenty-first century the replacement of technology with religion and spirituality as the main growth market in the twenty-first century "The Spiritual Imperative" provides insight into where human civilization has been and where it's going.

This book develops a philosophico-methodological analysis of prediction and its role in economics. Prediction plays a key role in economics in various ways. It can be seen as a basic science, as an applied science and in the application of this science. First, it is used by economic theory in order to test the available knowledge. In this regard, prediction has been presented as the scientific test for economics as a science. Second, prediction provides a content regarding the possible future that can be used for prescription in applied economics. Thus, it can be used as a guide for economic policy, i.e., as knowledge concerning the future to be employed for the resolution of specific problems. Third, prediction also has a role in the application of this science in the public arena. This is through the decision-making of the agents - individuals or organizations - in quite different settings, both in the realm of microeconomics and macroeconomics. Within this context, the research is organized in five parts, which discuss relevant aspects of the role of prediction in economics: I) The problem of prediction as a test for a science; II) The general orientation in methodology of science and the problem of prediction as a scientific test; III) The methodological framework of social sciences and economics: Incidence for prediction as a test; IV) Epistemology and methodology of economic prediction: Rationality and empirical approaches and V) Methodological aspects of economic prediction: From description to prescription. Thus, the book is of interest for philosophers and economists as well as policy-makers seeking to ascertain the roots of their performance. The style used lends itself to a wide audience.

This book contains original research chapters related to the interdisciplinary field of complex networks spanning biological and environmental networks, social, technological, and economic networks. Many natural phenomena can be modeled as networks where nodes are the primitive compounds and links represent their interactions, similarities, or distances of sorts. Complex networks have an enormous impact on research in various fields like biology, social sciences, engineering, and cyber-security to name a few. The topology of a network often encompasses important information on the functionality and dynamics of the system or the phenomenon it represents. Network science is an emerging interdisciplinary discipline that provides tools and insights to researchers in a variety of domains. NetSci-X is the central winter conference within the field and brings together leading researchers and innovators to connect, meet, and establish interdisciplinary channels for collaboration. It is the largest and best known event in the area of network science. This text demonstrates how ideas formulated by authors with different backgrounds are transformed into models, methods, and algorithms that are used to study complex systems across different domains and will appeal to researchers and students within in the field.

This book is devoted to the modeling and understanding of complex urban systems. This second volume of Understanding Complex Urban Systems focuses on the challenges of the modeling tools, concerning, e.g., the quality and quantity of data and the selection of an appropriate modeling approach. It is meant to support urban decision-makers-including municipal politicians, spatial planners, and citizen groups-in choosing an appropriate modeling approach for their particular modeling requirements. The contributors to this volume are from different disciplines, but all share the same goal: optimizing the representation of complex urban systems. They present and discuss a variety of approaches for dealing with data-availability problems and finding appropriate modeling approaches-and not only in terms of computer modeling. The selection of articles featured in this volume reflect a broad variety of new and established modeling approaches such as: - An argument for using Big Data methods in conjunction with Agent-based Modeling; - The introduction of a participatory approach involving citizens, in order to utilize an Agent-based Modeling approach to simulate urban-growth scenarios; - A presentation of semantic modeling to enable a flexible application of modeling methods and a flexible exchange of data; - An article about a nested-systems approach to analyzing a city's interdependent subsystems (according to these subsystems' different velocities of change); - An article about methods that use Luhmann's system theory to characterize cities as systems that are composed of flows; - An article that demonstrates how the Sen-Nussbaum Capabilities Approach can be used in urban systems to measure household well-being shifts that occur in response to the resettlement of urban households; - A final article that illustrates how Adaptive Cycles of Complex Adaptive Systems, as well as innovation, can be applied to gain a better understanding of cities and to promote more resilient and more sustainable urban futures.

This book addresses problems and challenges that face educational measurement at a time when multipurpose usage of observational data from educational assessments, tests and international surveys has become a growing global trend. While the construction of educational measures and use of educational data offer many opportunities, they also require awareness of the numerous threats to validity and methods of reducing such threats. Written by leading international scholars, the book demonstrates the complexity of educational measurement by addressing three broad and interrelated topics. The first part discusses cognitive abilities, including studies on fluid intelligence, its improvement and its links to aptitude tests for admission to higher education. The second part focuses on the effects of school and teacher-related factors on school outcomes at individual and group levels, and uses international studies to analyze causes. The third part presents analytical techniques and measurement methods to improve reliability, for example factor analysis using Bayesian estimators, bi-factor analysis, model misfit and solutions, and discusses balance issues in reporting test results. The book provides examples of state-of-the-art analytical techniques for pursuing fundamental research problems, and the latest advances in measurement methods, with a focus on validity improvement. Eminent researchers discuss and provide insights into questions such as: Is it possible to train individuals to think at a higher level than normal for their age? What determines prospective preschool teachers' skill to perceive mathematics-related preschool situations? Can international indicator design and instruments be improved to use trends and national context variables more efficiently? Can indicator data at national, school and class levels be compared easier? Are value-added measures of teacher effectiveness valid when it comes to hiring and promoting teachers? Is money better spent on teacher training than on smaller class-size? How do theory and empirical statistical data intertwine in building structures of understanding? This book is inspired by the career and personal influence of the Swedish scholar Professor Jan-Eric Gustafsson, renowned for his research on individual differences, especially the structure of cognitive abilities, and on the effects of education on knowledge and skills.

The book provides an argument why realism is a viable metatheoretical framework for psychological science. By looking at some variations of realism such as scientific realism, critical realism, situational realism and Ferraris' new realism, a realist view of science is outlined that can feature as a metatheory for psychological science. Realism is a necessary correction for the mythical image of science responsible for and maintained by a number of dichotomies and polarities in psychology. Thus, the quantitative-qualitative dichotomy, scientist-practitioner polarity and positivist-constructionist opposition feed off and maintains a mythic image of science on levels of practice, methods and metatheory. Realism makes a clear distinction between ontology and epistemic access to reality, the latter which easily fits with softer versions of constructionism, and the former which grounds science in resistance and possibility, loosely translated as criticism. By taking science as a critical activity an issue such as the quantitative imperative looses its defining force as a hallmark of science - it provides epistemic access to certain parts of reality. In addition, essentially critical activities characteristic of various qualitative approaches may be welcomed as proper science. Academics, professionals and researchers in psychology would find value in situating their scholarly work in a realist metatheory avoiding the pitfalls of traditional methodologies and theories.

The Principles of Knowledge Creation is an essential guide to the various methods of collating, explaining and understanding research data. It provides an overview of the possibilities and opportunities that exist in the research world, and demonstrates the pluralism of scientific approaches and methods. The book explores research tools and techniques in the context of objectifying and interpreting science, and the application of critical science methods. An exhaustive range of research methods is examined by subject specialists from varied social science backgrounds, including management, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, psychology and pedagogy. They illustrate that no single knowledge creation approach can be applied to all enquiries or studies, and that different interpretations and approaches can lead to the founding of new knowledge and explanations. This fascinating, hands-on approach promises to inspire students and researchers to experiment with new and different methods of solving their research problems. As such, it will strongly appeal to all those with an interest in research and research data within the social sciences.

Students of psychology have long faced the problem of tracking down original research articles, which are generally scattered in hard-to-find journals or presented in watered-down form in text books. In Introducing Psychological Research, Philip Banyard and Andrew Grayson have resolved this dilemma once and for all by providing detailed summaries and background information for sixty-three of the most influential studies in psychology.

The studies included in this remarkable reference illustrate the breadth of psychological research covering the areas of biological psychology, comparative psychology, social psychology, human diversity, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and health psychology. Among the ground- breaking trials highlighted are Piaget's cognitive approach; the jigsaw technique; the prison simulation; the Robbers' Cave; and the Minimal Group Studies. Contributors to this collection include Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo, Henry Tajfel, B. F. Skinner, Niko Tinbergen, Sandra Bem, Carol Gilligan, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Bandura.

A volume in Educational Design and Technology in the Knowledge Society Series Editors Stewart Marshall and Wanjira Kinuthia The field of educational technology is one that requires a high level of problem solving critical thinking, and interpersonal skills to solve problems that are often complex and multi-dimensional. Analyzing cases provides an opportunity to explore professional issues through an environment that allows action researchers, practitioners and students to analyze and reflect on relevant theories and techniques to understand a real problem, ponder solutions and consequences, and develop responses. Hence, this book seeks to provide relevant authentic and realistic cases for such exploration. This book is guided by the premise that the cases presented will serve as a platform for researchers, practitioners and students to share experiences and best practices in both developing and developed contexts, in an endeavor to bridge the knowledge divide. Throughout the book, various challenges are addressed and educational technology tools and strategies are subsequently employed in an effort to minimize the issues. Notwithstanding, the book also highlights successes and accomplishments in areas and contexts in which educational technology is being harnessed, including reaching more learners, providing more affordable options, and building capacity. Because of the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature of the field and the cases, this book is useful not only in educational technology, but also in other fields. A "Facilitator Guide" is provided for each chapter for educators with their learners.

Facilitating research on Middle Eastern and North African politics, this volume is a major reference work. A series of chapters describe the post-World War II research on the politics of the states and of the Palestinians of the region. The literature on international relations of the region is reviewed and the approach to political economy is discussed. Written by the foremost experts on their respective subjects, the chapters also identify the gaps in the literature and fruitful areas for future research. The chapter references constitute a bibliographical treasure for those seeking to study the politics of the region. Annotations enable the reader to better select works for further research. This volume provides a complete analysis of the state of the field, an agenda for future research, and a detailed, annotated bibliography of the best research published.

This book presents a collection of papers illustrating the variety of "experimental" methodologies used to study voting. Experimental methods include laboratory experiments in the tradition of political psychology, laboratory experiments with monetary incentives, in the economic tradition, survey experiments (varying survey, question wording, framing or content), as well as various kinds of field experimentation. Topics include the behavior of voters (in particular turnout, vote choice, and strategic voting), the behavior of parties and candidates, and the comparison of electoral rules.

This book is designed as a gentle introduction to the fascinating field of choice modeling and its practical implementation using the R language. Discrete choice analysis is a family of methods useful to study individual decision-making. With strong theoretical foundations in consumer behavior, discrete choice models are used in the analysis of health policy, transportation systems, marketing, economics, public policy, political science, urban planning, and criminology, to mention just a few fields of application. The book does not assume prior knowledge of discrete choice analysis or R, but instead strives to introduce both in an intuitive way, starting from simple concepts and progressing to more sophisticated ideas. Loaded with a wealth of examples and code, the book covers the fundamentals of data and analysis in a progressive way. Readers begin with simple data operations and the underlying theory of choice analysis and conclude by working with sophisticated models including latent class logit models, mixed logit models, and ordinal logit models with taste heterogeneity. Data visualization is emphasized to explore both the input data as well as the results of models. This book should be of interest to graduate students, faculty, and researchers conducting empirical work using individual level choice data who are approaching the field of discrete choice analysis for the first time. In addition, it should interest more advanced modelers wishing to learn about the potential of R for discrete choice analysis. By embedding the treatment of choice modeling within the R ecosystem, readers benefit from learning about the larger R family of packages for data exploration, analysis, and visualization.