Complexity science and SPSS

[Clive Downs]

Hi

I was wondering if any one has tried to use SPSS to investigate complexity
applications? Clearly SPSS is a tool for statistical analysis and therefore
is not intended for other uses, but it is conceivable that SPSS syntax and
programming eg in Python could be used to analyse datasets, in SPSS format,
to apply algorithms or analytic methods inspired by complexity.

If so, I would be very interested to know!

Thanks,

Clive.

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[Art Kendall]

SPSS can be used for many things done with data.

Can you give some examples and description of what you are looking for?

Art Kendall
Social Research Consultants

Clive Downs wrote:

> Hi
>
> I was wondering if any one has tried to use SPSS to investigate complexity
> applications? Clearly SPSS is a tool for statistical analysis and therefore
> is not intended for other uses, but it is conceivable that SPSS syntax and
> programming eg in Python could be used to analyse datasets, in SPSS format,
> to apply algorithms or analytic methods inspired by complexity.
>
> If so, I would be very interested to know!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Clive.
>
> =====================
> To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
> [hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
> command. To leave the list, send the command
> SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
> For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
> INFO REFCARD
>
>
>

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[Art Kendall]

In SPSS terminology nodes would be cases and connections would be
distances/similarities/proximities.
SPSS has at least 30 distance measures and several methods of
hierarchical aggregation/clustering.
Many of the distance measures are for dichotomous data i.e., cases are
connected/same on a variable or they are not.
One can also load a matrix with whatever distance measure you want, and
then use one of the clustering procedures.
Depending what you actually have for data, CATEGORIES or TREE may do
what you want.

SPSS can also work with Python, and R and has MATRIX for applications
where the user has matrix algebra.
For many clients who need to do something in special application
software, SPSS is often an effective and efficient tool for data
preparation.  It can produce many kinds of output for use with other
software.  It can also input results from special software can often be
further analyzed or visualized in SPSS.

With regard to entering/leaving cliques/clusters, that would be frontier
work and may require use or creation of special purpose software.  It is
possible that some software from genomics or phylogeny can be adapted to
your needs.

Many people who develop techniques for these kinds of problems often
participate in the Classification Society.  The Journal of
Classification and CLASS_L are good resources for ways to work with this
kind of data.
http://thames.cs.rhul.ac.uk/~fionn/classification-society/


With regard to redundancy  I guess I see it as the other way around.
Special purpose software is developed at the frontier.  A method is
mainstream when it is available in the major packages. The
special/single purpose software then becomes unnecessary.   As the
packages have become more extensive, I have discarded literally hundreds
of pieces of ad hoc software in the last 35 years or so.

HTH
Art Kendall
Social Research Consultants


Downs, Clive wrote:

>  Hi Art,
>
> The type of thing I had in mind was to analyse hierarchical aggregation
> of data, and connectivity between data points, rather as in network
> theory, where you basically have two kinds of entities, nodes and
> connections between nodes. We would like to identify structures
> (connections between nodes) and dynamics (how connections between nodes
> are created and are destroyed).
>
> It might be for instance to model how random biased nets develop.
>
> I have seen some SPSS syntax designed for social network theory, but I
> think the development of specialist software for social networks has
> made this redundant.
>
> I hope this gives some idea of the type of applications,
>
> Regards
>
> Clive.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Art Kendall [mailto:[hidden email]]
> Sent: 22 October 2008 12:32
> To: Downs, Clive
> Cc: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: Complexity science and SPSS
>
> SPSS can be used for many things done with data.
>
> Can you give some examples and description of what you are looking for?
>
> Art Kendall
> Social Research Consultants
>
> Clive Downs wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> I was wondering if any one has tried to use SPSS to investigate
>> complexity applications? Clearly SPSS is a tool for statistical
>> analysis and therefore is not intended for other uses, but it is
>> conceivable that SPSS syntax and programming eg in Python could be
>> used to analyse datasets, in SPSS format, to apply algorithms or
>>
> analytic methods inspired by complexity.
>
>> If so, I would be very interested to know!
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Clive.
>>
>> =====================
>> To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
>> [hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except
>> the command. To leave the list, send the command SIGNOFF SPSSX-L For a
>>
>
>
>> list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command INFO
>> REFCARD
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
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