Cognitive, material and technological considerations in participatory environmental modeling

Abstract

Drawing on philosophical and social science investigations of computational modeling, we argue that participatory modeling must take into account: (1) unrecognized implicit, cognitive knowledge and values embedded in the participatory modeling process that affect outcomes (models and decisions derived from models); (2) social, material, and technological dynamics in the participatory modeling process that create meaning and shape understanding, and (3) participatory environmental modeling leads to changes in conceptualizations and the potential dynamics of the broader socio-ecological system of which the models and processes are a part. We examine these dimensions of participatory modeling drawing upon examples from the Chesapeake Bay.