Conference on Methodological Developments of Statistics in Social Science

研究者和她的同事提议在2006年10月举办一个全国性的跨学科会议，讨论与社会科学统计相关的关键方法问题。这些领域包括：隐变量结构方程模型、多层次模型、测试理论和项目反应理论、社会网络、调查抽样、聚类分析和项目评价。演讲者包括统计和社会科学领域的杰出研究人员，以及初级助理教授，博士后研究人员和研究生。本次会议的形式为青年研究人员提供了充足的参与机会，包括论文、海报和圆桌小组讨论。这次会议的另一个独特方面是它的跨学科性质，为不参加共同会议因而不经常互动的人员提供了交流思想的环境。社会科学研究是一个充满活力的领域，传统上由心理学、社会学、教育学和经济学的应用驱动。这次关于社会科学统计前沿方法发展的会议汇集了来自数学统计、心理学、教育、政府、社会学和政治学等不同领域的成熟和年轻研究人员。这一努力的结果将增强我们对当代社会科学定量方法问题的理解，并对社会的改善具有巨大的潜力。

The investigator and her colleagues propose to host a national interdisciplinary conference in October 2006 to address key methodological issues related to social science statistics. These areas are: structural equation modeling with latent variables, multilevel modeling, test theory and item response theory, social networks, survey sampling, cluster analysis and program evaluation. Speakers include both prominent researchers in statistical and social science areas, along with beginning assistant professors, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students. The format of this conference provides ample opportunities for participation of young researchers through contributed papers, posters and roundtable panel discussion. Another unique aspect of this conference is its interdisciplinary nature, providing an environment of exchange of ideas between persons that do not share common conferences and hence do not often interact. Research in the social sciences is a dynamic area that has been traditionally driven by applications in psychology, sociology, education and economics. This conference on cutting-edge Methodological Developments of Statistics in the Social Sciences brings together both established and young researchers from a diverse set of fields -- mathematical statistics, psychology, education, government, sociology, and political science. The results of this endeavor will enhance our understanding of the contemporary issues in quantitative methodologies of social sciences, and has enormous potential for the betterment of society.