Clique Formation Research Articles

FRIENDSHIP TYPE, CLIQUE FORMATION AND THE EVERYDAY USE OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN A PEER GROUP

This study focuses on teens' use of communication technologies to maintain connections with people from their everyday peer group. It departs from a pre-defined network (in a secondary school in Flanders, Belgium) and investigates how friendship type and clique formation (an important dynamic in this (micro) context) are related to face-to-face communication (FTFC) and the use of email, instant messaging, text messaging, telephone and social network sites in this network. Hypotheses/expectations were derived from network theory and (qualitative and quantitative) studies on the social affordances of communication technologies for adolescents. Data were collected among the 78 pupils of a fourth grade (15–16-year-olds) in a Belgian secondary school. First, dyadic quadratic assignment procedure regression analyses were run to explain the frequency of FTFC and communication through different technologies by looking at dyad characteristics (strength of ties, number of friends in common, same sex…). Second, FTFC and communication through technologies were compared for in-group versus out-group ties. The analyses show that the patterns of FTFC were sometimes reproduced (and therefore extended), and sometimes deviated from in communication through technologies. The specific function each of the studied technologies fulfilled in relation to social structure (in this network) is addressed in the discussion.

Correlation between Teacher Participation in Decision-making and Collegial Interaction

A collegial school environment is one in which teachers are able to work well with other teachers as well as with their Principals. Collegiality greatly influences teachers' morale, commitment, job satisfaction and performance. The efficiency and effectiveness of any school depends on every teacher's ability to work with others. This study sought to investigate if a positive correlation does exist between teacher involvement in school based decision-making processes and collegial interaction. The study adopted an interpretive qualitative research methodology and a case study research design. A purposive convenient sample of 5 school heads and 20 secondary school teachers formed the study. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews, documentary analysis and observation of two staff meetings per school. The study found that a positive correlation exists between teacher participation in critical school based decisions and collegial interaction. It was established that the exclusion of teachers in strategic areas in decision making has led to formation of small cliques in four of the five participating schools. It was indicated that small groups had been formed, some of which were seeking fame from the administration by back biting others.

Combined methods, thick descriptions: Languages of collaboration on Github

AbstractLike many professional work activities in this age of ubiquitous computing and high‐speed internet connections, computer programming and software development are increasingly mediated by systems with ‘social media’ features like profiles, avatars, ‘liking’, and commenting capabilities. When working on shared tasks, programmers have effectively leveraged these capabilities to overcome differences in time and location while simultaneously using collaborative web applications, such as version control repositories like SCM or ‘git’ systems to work together more efficiently. Here we present preliminary findings from a project investigating patterns of collaboration on the social coding platform Github. We've used a research method that combines the use of statistical approaches from social network analysis (SNA) and traditional qualitative case study construction. Our results show that this method is useful in qualitatively explaining the topology of a collaborative network, especially the formation of cliques that have been identified using traditional SNA metrics.

Disaffiliation in associations and the ἀποσυναγωγός of John

This article tries to understand what might have been at stake for the synagogue from which the Johannine Jesus partisans had been expelled and what was at stake in the coinage of the term ἀποσυναγωγός. It we refuse to accept naively John’s overlexicalised and retrospective account of the grounds for expulsions and pay attention to the practices of other groups in articulating a disciplinary code, I suggest that what was at stake was deviant behaviour on the part of the Johannine Jesus-partisans: either failure to comply with the larger group’s practices concerning Sabbath observance, or more likely, clique formation.

Disrupted Modularity and Local Connectivity of Brain Functional Networks in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia

Modularity is a fundamental concept in systems neuroscience, referring to the formation of local cliques or modules of densely intra-connected nodes that are sparsely inter-connected with nodes in other modules. Topological modularity of brain functional networks can quantify theoretically anticipated abnormality of brain network community structure – so-called dysmodularity – in developmental disorders such as childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS). We used graph theory to investigate topology of networks derived from resting-state fMRI data on 13 COS patients and 19 healthy volunteers. We measured functional connectivity between each pair of 100 regional nodes, focusing on wavelet correlation in the frequency interval 0.05–0.1 Hz, then applied global and local thresholding rules to construct graphs from each individual association matrix over the full range of possible connection densities. We show how local thresholding based on the minimum spanning tree facilitates group comparisons of networks by forcing the connectedness of sparse graphs. Threshold-dependent graph theoretical results are compatible with the results of a k-means unsupervised learning algorithm and a multi-resolution (spin glass) approach to modularity, both of which also find community structure but do not require thresholding of the association matrix. In general modularity of brain functional networks was significantly reduced in COS, due to a relatively reduced density of intra-modular connections between neighboring regions. Other network measures of local organization such as clustering were also decreased, while complementary measures of global efficiency and robustness were increased, in the COS group. The group differences in complex network properties were mirrored by differences in simpler statistical properties of the data, such as the variability of the global time series and the internal homogeneity of the time series within anatomical regions of interest.

The formation of synchronization cliques during the development of modular neural networks

Modular organization is a special feature shared by many biological and social networks alike. It is a hallmark for systems exhibiting multitasking, in which individual tasks are performed by separated and yet coordinated functional groups. Understanding how networks of segregated modules develop to support coordinated multitasking functionalities is the main topic of the current study. Using simulations of biologically inspired neuronal networks during development, we study the formation of functional groups (cliques) and inter-neuronal synchronization. The results indicate that synchronization cliques first develop locally according to the explicit network topological organization. Later on, at intermediate connectivity levels, when networks have both local segregation and long-range integration, new synchronization cliques with distinctive properties are formed. In particular, by defining a new measure of synchronization centrality, we identify at these developmental stages dominant neurons whose functional centrality largely exceeds the topological one. These are generated mainly in a few dominant clusters that become the centers of the newly formed synchronization cliques. We show that by the local synchronization properties at the very early developmental stages, it is possible to predict with high accuracy which clusters will become dominant in later stages of network development.

An Exploration of a Model of Social Networks and Multilateral Negotiations

Multilateral (many‐party) negotiations are much more complex than traditional two‐party negotiations. In this article, we explore a model of social network activity, especially clique formation, among parties engaged in multilateral negotiation and the implications that such networks might have on the negotiation process and outcome. Using data collected from 375 subjects participating in a negotiation simulation, our results reveal that, primarily, the negotiator's perspectives of clique formation (coalition building) — both his or her own and the other party's — have unique effects on the integrative, problem‐solving approaches used in the process and on the negotiator's satisfaction with outcomes. Secondarily, centrality (manifest as emergent power) has a positive effect on both problem solving and satisfaction. Interestingly, we found that those players who emerged as the most dominant and powerful were not as satisfied (in relative levels) as those who were less powerful.

Going Beyond Local Search in Alliance Networks: Technological Knowledge Base and Network Position as Predictors of Clique Spanning Ties

Cliques (of densely connected alliance partners) have been largely neglected in technological alliances studies. In this study, we show that cliques and their dynamics are an interesting angle, to analyze why certain firms are better in going beyond local search than others. Clique spanning ties can be expected to have strategic advantages for firms maneuvering themselves in a position as broker between two dense regions in the alliance network. We examine the effects of technological-, firm-, ego network-, and clique level characteristics on the formation of cliques spanning ties for a sample of 75 ASIC-manufacturers. We find strong evidence that both technological portfolio characteristics and network positions of focal firms play a considerable role in explaining the probability that they will establish clique spanning ties.

Patterns of subgrouping and spatial affiliation in a community of mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata)

Studies of social affiliation and social spacing offer important insight into the dynamics of subgroup formation and social strategies in living primates. Among the 11 species in the genus Alouatta, mantled howlers (A. palliata) are the only species to consistently form large, stable social groups composed of several adult males and several adult females. In this study, we examine patterns of subgrouping, activity, and partner preferences in a troop of 26-29 wild mantled howling monkeys (including 12-13 marked individuals) inhabiting Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua. During two study seasons in 2000 and 2001, we simultaneously monitored the size, composition, and activities of individuals in two to three different subgroups. A half-weight association index was used to calculate partner preferences and patterns of spatial association. Results indicate that our howler study troop fragmented into subgroups of 1-20 with subgroups averaging five and six individuals. Subgroup size and membership reflected individual patterns of social affiliation and social tolerance, and in general remained consistent across activities and from year to year. We also found evidence of cliques or social networks of three to four individuals embedded within larger subgroups. A small number of adult males appeared to play an important social role as the nucleus of clique formation. We argue that the persistence of strong male-male and male-female partner preferences in mantled howlers helps to explain the stability of relatively large multimale-multifemale groups.

Eye‐rollers, risk‐takers, and turn sharks: Target students in a professional science education program

AbstractIn classrooms from kindergarten to graduate school, researchers have identified target students as students who monopolize material and human resources. Classroom structures that privilege the voice and actions of target students can cause divisive social dynamics that may generate cliques. This study focuses on the emergence of target students, the formation of cliques, and professors' efforts to mediate teacher learning in a Master of Science in Chemistry Education (MSCE) program by structuring the classroom environment to enhance nontarget students' agency. Specifically, we sought to answer the following question: What strategies could help college science professors enact more equitable teaching structures in their classrooms so that target students and cliques become less of an issue in classroom interactions? The implications for professional education programs in science and mathematics include the need for professors to consider the role and contribution of target students to the learning environment, the need to structure an equitable learning environment, and the need to foster critical reflection upon classroom interactions between students and instructors. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 819–851, 2006

Networks and Small Groups

Homans' insights that interaction and sentiment are in a feedback loop that includes clique formation, social ranking and leadership are formalized and derived from a set of limited assumptions and propositions. Freeman's model of groups is used to detect pure informal groups, those that are not consequential upon anything else than sheer hanging around. It produces a system of cliques and rankings based purely on the rates of transitive triads that may include a third who is only weakly connected to the other two. Two assumptions about motivation in networks – the need for safety and efficacy are then combined with Gould's modeling of asymmetric relations in which members are valued for either intrinsic or extrinsic merits. The ratings tend to cascade according to the "Matthew Effect." Finally, people like to choose others who are more attractive than they are, subject to the condition that too much unrequited love is painful. Gould's Formalization of these ideas for the case of small groups produces, among other results, the consequence that those who are chosen more often than others also tend to direct interaction more towards others with lesser rank, a non-intuitive result observed by Homans, but explained by him in substantive rather than formal terms. The logic of rank further dictates that groups become segmented by structural equivalence. Other results are also summarized.

Clique formation of super-sister honeybee workers ( Apis mellifera ) in experimental groups

One day old honeybee workers (Apis mellifera) were observed in small experimental groups (10 workers per group). These groups were either composed of offspring workers of singly inseminated queens (super-sister groups) or multiply inseminated queens (mixed groups). The groups thus consisted of either super-sisters or a mix of super- and halfsisters. The positions of the individually labelled workers were observed with infrared sensitive video equipment over a 24 h period and analysed with digital image analysis. The spatial distribution of workers in super-sister and mixed groups differed significantly. The distance between super-sister workers was significantly less than in mixed groups (n = 339; p < 0.01). Also the distance of the workers from the group centre was significantly less in super-sister groups as compared to mixed groups (n = 3440, p<0.05). The super-sisters thus formed tighter groups than the groups including half-sisters. A genotypic analysis of the mixed groups with microsatellite DNA markers revealed that workers were significantly more frequently observed next to a super-sister rather than a half-sister (p < 0.001). Irrespective whether this results from kin recognition or not, we expect clique formation to be an important factor for the development of task specialisation among worker bees.

The Culture of Cohorts: Preservice teacher education teams at a southeastern University in the United States

The cultures of elementary and early childhood preservice teacher education cohorts or teams are examined. Qualitative analyses yielded both positive and negative elements of team cultures. Influences on team cultures that emerged were: (a) the family-like context of teams, (b) the differential treatment given to some classmates, (c) the formation of cliques, (d) group pressure, (e) cooperative assignments, (f) professors, and (g) team supervisors. Analyses revealed congruence among the diverse voices in support for the cohort structure, but congruence also in noting serious and recurring problems across some teams. Recommendations are given for university, college, and team level support.

Michels Revisited: Autonomous Cliques in a Small Political System: The Norwegian Institute for Atomic Energy (IFA), 1949‐79

Elite autonomy is often discussed in relation to oligarchic tendencies within organizations. The article demonstrates how autonomy of elites may have a more stable basis if it rests on inter‐elite support. The focus is on the role of autonomous, tightly coupled, and exclusive elite networks characterized by jointly held perceptions and reciprocity – cliques – in a small political system, such as in Norway. The argument is based on a study of the Norwegian Institute of Atomic Energy and its political environment, 1949–79. The formation and survival of autonomous cliques are stimulated by properties of small and tightly knit political systems: (1) transciency, (2) scarcity of qualified personnel, (3) consensus on national goals, and (4) elites' need to protect themselves from judgements based on strong egalitarian norms. The existence of autonomous cliques in a policy area has important implications for: (1) political entrepreneurship, (2) organizational development, and (3) legitimacy in relation to the environment. The management and control via informal clique organization have received little attention. Thus, this study serves as a supplement to the literature on bureaucratic politics and organization theory.

The value of cognitive foundations for dynamic social theory

It is possible to develop models of social behavior that are predicated on detailed mechanical models of cognition. Cognitively based social models are potentially unified theoretical frameworks that can be used to explain a wide variety of social phenomena. Moreover, if a knowledge representation scheme and a knowledge acquisition scheme are specified in the underlying cognitive model then it is possible to produce a dynamic social model. The resulting social model can thus be used to predict and explain not only conditions for specific behaviors but changes in those behaviors over time. Constructuralism is a theory of social behavior that rests on a cognitive model. The cognitive model specified has a knowledge representation scheme, knowledge acquisition procedures, and control procedures for shifting cognitive attention. The resulting social model is a dynamic model that can be used to explain both conditions for the occurrence of a behavior and social and individual changes that accrue do to a series of behaviors. The explanatory breadth of the model is illustrated by looking at predictions about a variety of social phenomena including: development of shared knowledge, identical behavior by members of the society, foreign language acquisition, clique formation, civil disobedience, and diffusion of innovative information.

Clique Formation in a Regional Health Planning Agency

This paper presents findings on the pattern of social relations among consumers and providers in a health planning agency in the United States. The data consisted of a survey of policy-making members of the planning body that yielded background information about respondents, their views on a range of social and health policy issues, and sociometric data. Cliques within the organization appeared to be influenced by the organizational “careers” of individuals. These data suggest that policy cohesion may be a more important factor for clique formation than social ties. The significance of the findings is that interdependency may be the hallmark of health planning decision-making. Those who “act” on a particular issue may well constitute a decision network at that point in time.

SimilarityversusComplementarity in Clique Formation

Summary The contribution of similarity and complementarity theories to the formation of cliques was investigated on a sample of 180 undergraduates divided into 60 three-person cliques. All filled out questionnaires relating to values, interests, needs, and personality traits; each was interviewed individually for sociodemographic information and leadership pattern. The results suggest that evaluators' positive self-perception and reciprocal perception of each other are important determinants of interaction, but personality traits remained unrelated to clique formation.

Cohesiveness as a Factor in Sport Performance

The factors influencing the effects that cohesiveness has upon performance success in athletic situations were examined. Two principal issues were discussed: the nature of the sport task (i.e., inherent differences among various sports in terms of task demands influence the type of coordinative activity required of group mem bers and this, in turn, is related to cohesiveness); and, the construct of cohesiveness itself with specific reference to those factors which contribute to improved coor dinative activity. It was proposed that only in those sports which are comprised of tasks characterized by interactive dependence (where maximum coordination can only be obtained through mutual adjustment by individual team members) that cohesiveness is related to team success. It was also proposed that cohesiveness, as a multidimensional construct, is comprised of three general categories of forces: normative, task and social. The normative forces (which arise as a result of tra ditional, cultural and practical considerations) prevent group dissolution and/or maintain individual participation within the team. Since these normative forces are constant across teams, they are unrelated to performance effectiveness. Task forces (resulting from task and self needs) lead to the development of coalitions while the social forces (arising from affiliative needs) are manifested in clique formation. The enhanced coordination contributing to performance success is a result of coalitions formed on the basis of maximum resources.

The Literature On Cluster Analysis.

There has been an explosion of interest in cluster analysis since 1960. The "explosion" of this literature is documented through: (a) a rapid growth in the number of articles which have been published using this technique; (b) the wide range of sciences interested in clustering; (c) the large and growing number of software programs for performing cluster analysis; (d) the formation of cliques of cluster analysis users; and (e) the resulting fragmentation of terminology into jargon which restricts interdisciplinary communication. In response to the effects of this explosion, it is expected that the future literature on clustering will contain a number of attempts at consolidation. Nevertheless, the facts that cluster analysis has no scientific home, that clustering methods are not based upon a well-enunciated statistical theory and that cluster analysis is tied to the complex topic of classification means that the consolidation of this literature will be difficult.

Program stability and resident turnover in residential rehabilitation programs for alcoholics and drug addicts.

AbstractLength of stay data from a residential rehabilitation program for skid row alcoholics was analysed to test the hypothesis that, due to the formation of cliques among established residents, those newly recruited at times when those in residence had accumulated relatively long lengths of stay, would discharge more rapidly than those newly recruited at other times. This hypothesis was confirmed by the data. However, a parallel analysis of length of stay data from a rehabilitation program for drug addicts failed to confirm the hypothesis. It is suggested that program differences account for the different results. Similar analyses for other programs are indicated as is the monitoring of length of stay during experimental manipulations of newer program elements designed to affect length of stay.