[Air-l] Technical competence

[Paula]

For once we more or less agree!  ;-)

Ellis Godard wrote:

>Just because some folks are applying advanced techniques to data,
>doesn't mean that anyone (much less everyone) else needs to understand
>those techniques. Frequently, methods employed in the social sciences
>surpass the theoretical maturity available. Perhaps I'm archaic to think
>that techniques should test ideas, rather than generate them. But even
>factor analysis and stepwise regression give me pause - not because I
>lack the technical competence, but because sampling deviations may
>generate findings that won't hold beyond the available sample.
>
>-eg
>
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>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: air-l-aoir.org-bounces at listserv.aoir.org 
>>[mailto:air-l-aoir.org-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Cox
>>Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2005 4:23 AM
>>To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
>>Subject: RE: [Air-l] Technical competence
>>
>>
>>The need for knowing about computer technologies in 
>>communications research is becoming greater than the 
>>rudiments of web composition and traffic analysis. Already, 
>>artificial intelligence is being applied to content analysis, 
>>as in the case of a number of papers published on the Enron 
>>email corpus. The skill sets involved fall outside those 
>>typically found among communications researchers. A principle 
>>researcher in one of these Enron studies is Andrew McCallum 
>>at UMass, who is a physicist iirc. Another physicist, Andrew 
>>Smith, is responsible for the Leximancer tool mentioned 
>>earlier by Thomas Koenig. Less abstract tools like structural 
>>equation modeling are common now, and require competence in 
>>computer technologies beyond SPSS. 
>>
>>Whether these technologies should be incorporated in 
>>curricula is maybe not the right question, as they are not 
>>the types of skills one gets in a course or two. Perhaps the 
>>field should recruit from among information science and 
>>computer science undergrads who come equipped with the skills 
>>already. 
>>    
>>
>
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