This book introduces and the new computer-based research methods for studying and modeling complex social phenomena. It is the first coherent collection that surveys the impact that computer-based methods have had on the social and behavioural sciences and illustrates the potential for future research. The methods are presented in an accessible manner and do not assume any background in computer science.

The authors introduce each chapter and explain how computers can help to study social processes and each method is described in relation to a substantive issue to show how it can contribute to our understanding of complex problems. The themes covered include computer simulation, neural and social networks and the visualization of complex network data.