Developing Theory Through Integrating Human and Machine Pattern Recognition

New forms of digital trace data are becoming ubiquitous. Traditional methods of qualitative research that aim at developing theory, however, are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of such data. To remedy this situation, qualitative researchers can engage not only with digital traces, but also with computational tools that are increasingly able to model digital trace data in ways that support the process of developing theory. To facilitate such research, this paper crafts a research design framework based on the philosophical tradition of pragmatism, which provides intellectual tools for dealing with multifaceted digital trace data, and offers an abductive analysis approach suitable for leveraging both human and machine pattern recognition. This framework provides opportunities for researchers to engage with digital traces and computational tools in a way that is sensitive to qualitative researchers’ concerns about theory development. The paper concludes by showing how this framework puts human imaginative capacities at the center of the push for qualitative researchers to engage with computational tools and digital trace

At the Biological Modeling and Simulation Frontier

We provide a rationale for and describe examples of synthetic modeling and simulation (M&S) of biological systems. We explain how synthetic methods are distinct from familiar inductive methods. Synthetic M&S is a means to better understand the mechanisms that generate normal and disease-related phenomena observed in research, and how compounds of interest interact with them to alter phenomena. An objective is to build better, working hypotheses of plausible mechanisms. A synthetic model is an extant hypothesis: execution produces an observable mechanism and phenomena. Mobile objects representing compounds carry information enabling components to distinguish between them and react accordingly when different compounds are studied simultaneously. We argue that the familiar inductive approaches contribute to the general inefficiencies being experienced by pharmaceutical R&D, and that use of synthetic approaches accelerates and improves R&D decision-making and thus the drug development process. A reason is that synthetic models encourage and facilitate abductive scientific reasoning, a primary means of knowledge creation and creative cognition. When synthetic models are executed, we observe different aspects of knowledge in action from different perspectives. These models can be tuned to reflect differences in experimental conditions and individuals, making translational research more concrete while moving us closer to personalized medicine

Building End-To-End Dialogue Systems Using Generative Hierarchical Neural Network Models

We investigate the task of building open domain, conversational dialogue systems based on large dialogue corpora using generative models. Generative models produce system responses that are autonomously generated word-by-word, opening up the possibility for realistic, flexible interactions. In support of this goal, we extend the recently proposed hierarchical recurrent encoder-decoder neural network to the dialogue domain, and demonstrate that this model is competitive with state-of-the-art neural language models and back-off n-gram models. We investigate the limitations of this and similar approaches, and show how its performance can be improved by bootstrapping the learning from a larger question-answer pair corpus and from pretrained word embeddings.Comment: 8 pages with references; Published in AAAI 2016 (Special Track on Cognitive Systems

Conversational Agents - Exploring Generative Mechanisms and Second-hand Effects of Actualized Technology Affordances

Many organisations jumped on the bandwagon and implemented conversational agents (CAs) as a new communication channel. Customers benefit from shorter resolution times, ubiquitous availability, and consistent and compliant responses. However, despite the hype around CAs and the various benefits for customers, we know little about the effects of external facing CAs on the human workforce. This is crucial to better manage the possible changes in the work organisation. Adopting a critical realist stance and using the lens of technology affordances we explore a) why users increasingly actualize CA affordances and b) the first and second-hand effects of affordance actualisation on customers and human employees. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 experts in the field and introduce the term affordance effects pairs describing the relationships between the first and second-hand effects. We further explain which generative mechanisms lead to an increasing actualization of affordances and the associated effects

Implementing the Process Tracing Technique using Combinatory Categorial Grammars: An Application to the Analysis of Economic Coordination within Firms

This paper describes a method for analyzing the evolutionary path of a complex, dynamic, and contingent social phenomenon. Given empirical evidence of a surprising or anomalous fact that contradicts a widely acknowledged theory, the aim is to create a plausible explanation based on its context of occurrence, taking a holistic and historical point of view. The procedure begins by translating theoretical propositions into grammar rules that describe patterns of sequences of either individual actions or interactions carried out by a stable community of actors, such as types of decision-making events. Subsequently, applying a process tracing technique based on the logic of retroduction creates an extension of this initial process category, relying on configurations of contextual conditions that acknowledge the surprising fact as a new event outcome in a specific empirical setting. Finally, a structural comparison between pairs of representative instances may lead to the refinement of the theory

Deep Analogical Inference as the Origin of Hypotheses

The ability to generate novel hypotheses is an important problem-solving capacity of humans. This ability is vital for making sense of the complex and unfamiliar world we live in. Often, this capacity is characterized as an inference to the best explanation—selecting the “best” explanation from a given set of candidate hypotheses. However, it remains unclear where these candidate hypotheses originate from. In this paper we contribute to computationally explaining these origins by providing the contours of the computational problem solved when humans generate hypotheses. The origin of hypotheses, otherwise known as abduction proper, is hallmarked by seven properties: (1) isotropy, (2) open-endedness, (3) novelty, (4) groundedness, (5) sensibility, (6) psychological realism, and (7) computational tractability. In this paper we provide a computational-level theory of abduction proper that unifies the first six of these properties and lays the groundwork for the seventh property of computational tractability. We conjecture that abduction proper is best seen as a process of deep analogical inference

Designing Brand Evolution Strategies: Co-creating sustained brand value and holistic experience with consumers.

In a progressively digitally interactive society, the relationship consumers have with brands is shifting, requiring a deeper understanding of how to co-create brand meanings with consumers. Consumers are utilizing social media to share their experiences with brands, often derailing carefully crafted brand messages. It is becoming increasingly important for brand managers to learn how to effectively evolve their brand to maintain relevancy and flexibility in this ever-changing atmosphere. Understanding consumer perceptions and touchpoints of brand interaction will help brand managers design effective brand evolution strategies. Several theoretical models are examined to help describe the complex system of interactions, particularly those involving virtual experiences. Introduced to help frame this understanding is a new model of the "Brand Interaction Space", which acknowledges that brand meaning and experience is a co-created construct between the organization and the consumer. Through co-creative strategies, brand managers can work with consumers to develop a symbiotic partnership in which both parties derive enhanced brand value. Incorporating "designerly" methods into the brand management structure, as well as creating a centralized brand team to serve as a connective force within the organization, will help align organizations holistically to fulfill a shared vision and brand promise. A heuristic process for implementation is presented

THE FOUR TRANSACTIONAL DISTANCES OF THE APOCALYPSE: A CRITICAL REALIST CASE STUDY OF HIGHER EDUCATION DURING COVID-19

The purpose of this comparative, longitudinal case study was to explore the distance operations system implemented in U.S. colleges and universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Embedded in a larger two-year study of distance education in the U.S. before and after the health crisis, this study combined a grounded theory methodology with a critical realist approach to identify the components of the distance operations system and illuminate the generative mechanisms that promote or inhibit effective distance education. Primary data for this study consisted of interviews of faculty, staff, and administration of four higher education institutions at two collection points: first during the spring and summer academic terms of 2020; and second, during or immediately after the fall 2020 academic term. Secondary data included participant-provided and public-facing documents, communications, and artifacts related to the transition to and continuity of distance operations. This study refines the construct of transactional distance (Moore, 1993) and offers a typology of distance in two domains: the physical domain, which includes temporal and transportational distance; and the psychological domain, which includes socio-personal and cognitive distance. This research has the potential to both disturb and inform higher education thought and action regarding the ways distance and distance education have been discussed, researched, and practiced. This study reveals that participants variously acted or reacted to, altered or shaped, and measured or adjudged the effects of distance. Thus, this dissertation argues that distance is a construct that higher education can and should distinguish, control, and wield for its purposes. Findings contribute to what is known about distance education at the macro level of theory and systems (Zawacki-Richter, 2009) and point to a need to evaluate the different types of distance and further explore how and under what circumstances distance may be most effective for any institutional activities