5. Modelling Flashcards
What is a representation?
Something is a representation of something else if it stands in for that thing, meaning we use or investigate that thing instead of what we are really interested in.
What is a target in modeling?
A target is that which a model aims to represent.
What does idealization mean in the context of models?
The fact that a model is an idealization of its target means that it does not have all the properties that the target has, and vice versa.
What is purpose dependence in modeling?
A model can only be justified on the basis of how useful it is for fulfilling a certain purpose.
What is inference by analogy?
Inference by analogy is to state that a conclusion in one case applies to another case due to there being relevant similarities between the cases.
What is positive analogy?
Similarity between the model and target.
What is negative analogy?
Dissimilarity between the model and target.
What is neutral analogy?
Property of model, whose occurrence in target is not known.
What are epistemic virtues of models?
Types of properties of models that determine the quality of a model, given a specific purpose.
What does similarity refer to in modeling?
The degree to which the model has several properties which the target also has (Multiple positive analogies) that are relevant for the purpose.
What is robustness in models?
A model is robust with respect to an assumption if changing this assumption does not change the model result.
What is parameter precision?
One model has higher parameter precision than another model, if the specifications of the parameters of the first model implies the parameter specification of the second.
What does simplicity mean in the context of models?
One model is simpler than another model if it contains less parameters than another model.
What is tractability in modeling?
A model is computationally tractable only if its results can be computed in polynomial time. A model is analytically tractable only if the model result can be obtained through valid deduction, from the model assumptions alone. A model is theoretically tractable only if the model is either computationally or analytically tractable, and some of the necessary computational or deductive steps are justified with reference to a background theory.
What is transparency in models?
A model is epistemically transparent if the model user is cognitively capable of understanding how the model result is produced.
