Another Complex Step: A Model of Heroin Experimentation

Abstract

In a recent article in this journal, the author explored complexity theory as a potential resource for anthropological research, using ongoing research on heroin trends as the example. In this article, the research on trends among a sample of youth in Baltimore County is again used. A preliminary computer simulation of the research results is reported. The simulation was written in the Starlogo language, a language designed to introduce agent-based modeling. The results show that key elements of the explanation of experimentation can be modeled and that the outcomes show potential use in intervention as well as validation of the anthropological research. However, the exercise also reveals limits of the model and problems in translation into the programming language.