Showing papers on "Process modeling published in 1976"

Behavioral Simulation as a Tool for the Analysis of Policy Problems

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses behavioral simulation as a tool for the analysis of policy problems. The major goal of behavioral simulation is to determine the process by which individuals, groups, or organizations solve problems or make decisions. Because of the emphasis on process, the entire effort is sometimes called process modeling. As a technique for modeling the behavior of individuals, organizations, or even systems, simulation permits the analysis of different stages of decision making and problem solving and their interaction, (2) the examination of decision criteria and priorities including the conditions under which these may or may not be operable, and (3) the identification of relative weights or rankings associated with decision variables. The flow chart is generally the major tool employed to determine the appropriate process. It is a powerful organizational device that allows the researcher to break task into components. The flow chart forces the researcher to be specific and to attend to detail. It is also important because it is generally the intermediate step between the observation of the process and the final reduction of that process to a computer program. Behavioral simulation is only beginning to be used for the purpose of analyzing public policy problems. The traditional objective of such a simulation was simply to replicate the process of problem solving or decision making and, thus, to contribute to a better understanding of the behavior under consideration.