University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Relational analysis of terminology found in the business and social sciences simulation and gaming literature

Hardin, Paul Curtis

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/23707

Description

Title
Relational analysis of terminology found in the business and social sciences simulation and gaming literature
Author(s)
Hardin, Paul Curtis
Issue Date
1989
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Harnisch, Delwyn L.
Department of Study
  • Education, Language and Literature
  • Education, Educational Psychology
  • Education, Business
Discipline
  • Education, Language and Literature
  • Education, Educational Psychology
  • Education, Business
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Education, Language and Literature
  • Education, Educational Psychology
  • Education, Business
Language
eng
Abstract
  • The primary focus of this study is to analyze, compare, and contrast the terminology used when authors refer to business and social science simulations, especially within the context of currently existing classification schemes of simulations. Additionally, emphasis is placed on identifying and describing possible cognitive processes underlying the semantic and syntactic structures of the terminology of business social science simulation literature in an exploratory manner.
  • Many authors have indicated a key problem in the simulation literature is the multiple definitions which exist for key terms. This is not simply a matter of unclear or confusing terminology. The confusion in the language apparently stems from an unclear perception of the elements and the complex relationships which exist among these elements, which make up the domain of business and social science simulation. Other authors have generally attempted to bring order to this confusion through the use of taxonomic structures.
  • In general, it was found that it is possible to analyze, compare, and contrast the terms used by different authors of the simulation literature according to both form and meaning. The most useful procedure for analysis was found to stem from semantic componential analysis, which is a linguistic structural semantics procedure. It was found, however, that taxonomic analysis did not provide the depth of understanding as was hoped at the outset of this research. A textual database proved extremely valuable in organizing the data and extracting relevant information.
  • A theory of memory development and storage, as well as a theory of cognition, seem to provide a rationale for the findings of this study. Schema theory provides the rationale for how the meaning of certain terms may have been acquired and stored. Structure-mapping theory furnishes a rationale for associating a given meaning with a given term, and perhaps provides a high level mechanism for retrieval of the terms and associated meanings from memory.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/23707
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1989 Hardin, Paul Curtis

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