The Method Of Response Function In Psychology Sociology
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The Method of Response Function in Psychology & Sociology
Social (psychological and sociological) systems present considerable difficulties for modellers due to their complexity, multidimensionality, uncertainty and irreducibility. The book proposes that response functions (MRF) be used as a method of constructing purposeful, credible and integrated social systems' models from data and prior knowledge or information. A semi-empirical, or "grey-box", MRF model may be regarded as a trade-off between a knowledge-based model and a "black-box" (empirical) model. It may embody all the existing knowledge on the process (or a part thereof) and, in addition, it relies on parameterised functions, whose parameters are determined from measurements. Observations contain hidden information on the processes under consideration and one of the main purposes of the proposed method is to "extract" and describe these hidden relationships. Parameterisation offers ways to couple qualitative with quantitative analysis. This combination makes it possible to take into account all the phenomena that are not modelled with the required accuracy through prior knowledge. Although only a simplified picture of the processes is modelled, a "grey box" system model provides some insight into the system processes. These processes are featured by chains of causality, highlighting stressors and variables responsive to stressors. The method of response functions is a nonlinear regression method that implies credible models in the sense that they are identifiable and, hopefully, explain system output behaviour satisfactorily. For case studies the authors have selected the problems usually studied by psychologists and sociologists with statistical procedures, such as investigation of variance and discriminant analysis based on the general linear model or one of its multivariate generalisations (structural equation models, etc.); disordered eating and obesity; subjective well-being and alexithymia. An accompanying CD-ROM contains the demonstration versions of three models that are discussed in the various chapters.The Method of Response Functions in Psychology and Sociology is aimed at Mathematical Psychologists; Mathematical Sociologists; Applied Psychologists; Sociologists and Social Practitioners. It will also be suitable for use on undergraduate as well as graduate and postgraduate courses specializing in these areas.
Disaster Management and Human Health Risk III
An increasing number of large-scale natural disasters have affected millions of people in recent years. Major earthquakes, floods, And hurricanes, have caused great destruction of property and loss of life, while forest fires, pipeline failures, and bombings have created equally devastating affects on a smaller scale. The increased threats are the topic of the Third International Conference on Disaster Management and Human Health Risk, convened so that experts on public health, security, and disaster management could share information. This book contains the papers presented at the conference. Topics covered include Disaster analysis; Disaster monitoring and mitigation; Emergency preparedness; Risk mitigation; Risk and security; Safety and resilience; Socio-economic issues; Biological threats; Learning from disasters.
Environmental & Economic Impact on Sustainable Development
Delegates to the 3rd International Conference on Environmental and Economic Impact on Sustainable Development contributed the peer-reviewed papers contained in this book. The papers discuss the most serious problems affecting sustainable development. They consider the impact of economic constraints on the environment, taking into account the social aspects as well as the over-use of natural resources. Uncontrolled development can also result in damage to the environment in terms of the release of toxic substances and hazardous waste. Thus, attention is paid to issues related to whether some forms of development are compatible with environmental protection, particularly in cases of possible serious contamination and toxicity. The focus in the book is on more constructive and progressive approaches to the problems discussed, to ensure sustainability. The hope is that through the shared experiences of experts, we can learn from past failure, to avoid repeating similar mistakes, while attempting to prevent emerging threats to the environmental and ecological systems. Fundamental to these concepts are an analysis of the inherent risks and the development of appropriate strategies. The papers in this book cover such topics as: Environmental assessments; Environmental policies and planning; Water resources management; Natural resources management; Legislation and regulations; Development issues; Economic impact.