ABSTRACT

Mathematical modeling is rapidly becoming one of the most powerful and important methods of studying the formal behavior and structure of empirical systems, processes, events, and phenomena. However, there are still many people who question the real value of model building technique in the methodology of social science. They argue, firstly, that contemporary mathematics no matter how sophisticated it may be, is poorly adapted to the needs of social science problems which are characterized by an extremely high number of interacting variables. Secondly, they object that even if one is successful in isolating a reasonable number of essential variables, still the domain of validity of the corresponding formal model is hopelessly small. This chapter considers the general aspects of mathematical modeling, and argues its basic importance in the study of behavioral phenomena by presenting a concrete model of supervised learning. It presents the case study that has an independent importance in the theory of education.