Real Research with Fake Data: A Tutorial on Conducting Computer Simulation for Research and Teaching

Abstract

Although many have recognized the value of computer simulations as a research tool, instruction on building computer simulations is absent from most doctoral education and research methods texts. This paper provides an introductory tutorial on computer simulations for research and teaching. It shows the techniques needed to create data based on desired relationships among the variables or based on a specified model. The paper also introduces techniques to make data more “interesting,” including adding skew or kurtosis, creating multi-item measures with unreliability, making data multilevel, and incorporating mediated, moderated, and nonlinear relationships. The methods described in the paper are illustrated using Excel, Mplus, and R; furthermore, the functionality of using ChatGPT to create code in R is explored and compared to the paper's illustrative examples. Supplemental files are provided that illustrate each example used in the paper as well as several more advanced techniques mentioned in the paper. The goal of this paper is not to help inform experts on simulation; rather, it is to open up to all readers the powerful potential of this research and teaching tool.