From big data to machine learning: an empirical application for social sciences

Machine learning (ML), and particularly algorithms based on artificial neural networks (ANNs), constitute a field of research lying at the intersection of different disciplines such as mathematics, statistics, computer science and neuroscience. This approach is characterized by the use of algorithms to extract knowledge from large and heterogeneous data sets. In this paper we will focus our attention on its possible applications in the social sciences and, in particular, on its potential in the data analysis procedures. In this regard, we will provide an example of application on sociological data to assess the impact of ML in the study of relationships between variables. Finally, we will compare the potential of ML with traditional data analysis models.