Fuzzy Set Theory: Applications in the Social Sciences

by Michael Smithson, Jay Verkuilen

Overview

Fuzzy set theory deals with sets or categories whose boundaries are blurry or, in other words, "fuzzy." This book presents an accessible introduction to fuzzy set theory, focusing on its applicability to the social sciences. Unlike most books on this topic, Fuzzy Set Theory: Applications in the Social Sciences provides a systematic, yet practical guide for researchers wishing to combine fuzzy set theory with standard statistical techniques and model-testing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761929864
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	02/17/2006
Series:	Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences , #147
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michael Smithson is a Professor in the Research School of Psychology at The Australian National University in Canberra, and received his Ph D from the University of Oregon. He is the author of Confidence Intervals (2003), Statistics with Confidence (2000), Ignorance and Uncertainty (1989), and Fuzzy Set Analysis for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (1987), co-author of Fuzzy Set Theory: Applications in the Social Sciences (2006) and Generalized Linear Models for Categorical and Limited Dependent Variables (2014), and co-editor of Uncertainty and Risk: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (2008) and Resolving Social Dilemmas: Dynamic, Structural, and Intergroup Aspects (1999). His other publications include more than 170 refereed journal articles and book chapters. His primary research interests are in judgment and decision making under ignorance and uncertainty, statistical methods for the social sciences, and applications of fuzzy set theory to the social sciences.

Jay Verkuilen, Ph D, is an associate professor of educational psychology at the City University of New York Graduate Center. His methodological research work is primarily in the area of psychometrics and statistics. His empirical work focuses on measurement in education and clinical psychology, and statistical analysis of rehabilitation medicine, particularly in the area of aphasia. He is the author of several publications regarding fuzzy set theory in behavioral science.

Table of Contents

Series Editor’s Introduction
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. An Overview of Fuzzy Set Mathematics
2.1 Set Theory
2.2 Why Fuzzy Sets?
2.3 The Membership Function
2.4 Operations of Fuzzy Set Theory
2.5 Fuzzy Numbers and Fuzzy Variables
2.6 Graphical Representations of Fuzzy Sets
3. Measuring Membership
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Methods for Constructing Membership Functions
3.3 Measurement Properties Required for Fuzzy Sets
3.4 Measurement Properties of Membership Functions
3.5 Uncertainty Estimates in Membership Assignment
4. Internal Structure and Properties of a Fuzzy Set
4.1 Cardinality: The Size of a Fuzzy Set
4.2 Probability Distributions for Fuzzy Sets
4.3 Defining and Measuring Fuzziness
5. Simple Relations Between Fuzzy Sets
5.1 Intersection, Union, and Inclusion
5.2 Detecting and Evaluating Fuzzy Inclusion
5.3 Quantifying and Modeling Inclusion: Ordinal Membership Scales
5.4 Quantified and Comparable Membership Scales
6. Multivariate Fuzzy Set Relations
6.1 Compound Set Indexes
6.2 Multiset Relations: Comorbidity, Covariation, and Co-Occurrence
6.3 Multiple and Partial Intersection and Inclusion
7. Concluding Remarks
References
Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

"I think that the book is a simple and accessible introduction to the theory of fuzzy sets and it includes many examples, formulae, figures, and tables which illustrate its contents. The presentation of the book and the academic content are very careful, which make for pleasant reading. "

Marinano Ruiz Espejo

"I think that the book is a simple and accessible introduction to the theory of fuzzy sets and it includes many examples, formulae, figures, and tables which illustrate its contents. The presentation of the book and the academic content are very careful, which make for pleasant reading."--Marinano Ruiz Espejo (3/20/2007 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher