Computer Applications in the Social Sciences [antikvár]

PREFACE This book is intended for anyone curious about how computer resources enhance the practice of social research. Comprehensive treatments of many different computer applications make this book an extensive resource for practicing social scientists. Chapters for those who are new to the subject make the book a painless yet effective route to learning about using computers in social research. To accommodate readers with diverse backgrounds, we define technical terms when they are first mentioned and then list them in the glossary. The only prerequisite for reading and using Computer Applications in the Social Sciences is that the reader be slightly familiar with the approaches and methods of social science research. While we anticipate that the predominant use of this book will be as a reference or self-study resource, it will also serve as a text for college courses. It is designed for use as a supplementary text in undergraduate courses on research methods and as the principal text in courses on computer applications in the social sciences. Such courses are now taught at all levels, from community colleges to Ph.D. programs. The social sciences overlap with many other disciplines, including library science, public administration, planning, architecture, applied statistics, home economics, and so forth. The mutual interests of the social sciences with these disciplines become especially apparent from the vantage of computing. xiii I'i