Social Network Research Research Articles

Leisure in society: a network structural perspective

Leisure as an object of sociological enquiry traditional approaches in the sociology of leisure recent interprative approaches to leisure elements of structural sociology of leisure social networks research social networks research in leisure a critique of leisure networks research conclusions and consequences of a structural sociology of leisure.

Opting out of the Legal System: Extralegal Contractual Relations in the Diamond Industry

Opting out of the Legal System: Extralegal Contractual Relations in the Diamond Industry

Estimating relational attributes from snowball samples through simulation

Abstract The difficulty of studying large networks is widely recognized by social network researchers. The fuzzy boundaries of networks and the high cost of data collection often make the exhaustive exploration of a social network impractical. Researchers have applied a variety of alternative procedures for sampling social networks, (such as snowball sampling) and have discussed the adequacy of the statistics for estimating a variety of network population parameters. However, little empirical work has been done on these estimates of social network parameters. With the use of computer simulations, this paper examines estimates of indegree centrality in snowball samples that vary in initial sample size, number of stages, and number of choices. The effects of varying sample parameters on estimated error is discussed.

Methodological issues in social support and social network research

With the plethora of articles describing a relationship between social support and/or social network and health status, it was considered useful to take stock of the current status of research in this area, focusing on two critical methodological issues: clarity of definition, and validity and reliability of the measurement instruments. Of the 33 instruments reviewed only modest agreement was found in conceptual definition, and frequently the concepts were not defined or ill-defined. Of particular concern is the definitional confusion between social support and social network. Variables used to operationalize these concepts confirm this lack of specificity and ambiguity in definition. As for validity and reliability, many of the investigators reported no data on these issues; others provided information that only modestly supported the validity or reliability of their instrument. The conclusion of this assessment suggests the need to clarify the essential elements of social support and social networks in order to better distinguish between the behavioral (support) and structural (network) variables that may be affecting health status. A question is also raised as to the likelihood of a single questionnaire being designed that would accurately measure the perceptions of support or supportive behaviors in the variety of supportive research that will continue to be studied. Finally, more rigorous standards need to be used by investigators in establishing the validity and reliability of the instruments in order ro improve their predictive utility.

Behavioral and cognitive data: A note on the multiplexity of network subgroups

This paper is concerned with the social network utility of cognitive data obtained by having people judge the similarity of other people without investigator-specified criteria. Substantively, we focus on networks of Alaskan salmon fishermen as derived from two sets of behavioral data (one pertaining to patterns of co-residence, another revealing patterns of economic exchange), and one set of cognitive data. These data are analyzed for multiplexity in network subgroupings. Findings show that, in this instance, a cognitive measure of similarity splits the difference between two categories of behavioral data. Implications of this for social network research are discussed.

Assessment of stress-buffering effects of social networks on psychological symptoms in an inner-city elderly population.

Social network researchers have been divided into two camps: those who propose that social networks have a direct effect on subsequent psychological symptoms and those who posit a stress-buffering effect as well. Previous research has been limited by rudimentary measures of social interaction and the absence of longitudinal data as well as by different approaches to the assessment of possible buffering effects. In the present study, using 19 social network variables, the authors followed 133 elderly residents of mid-Manhattan SRO hotels for 1 year. Three different methods of determining buffering effects were examined: Dividing the sample into high- and low-stress groups and contrasting differences in percentage variance accounted for by social networks between the two groups; Examining the group as a whole to assess if any Network Variable X Stress interactional terms are significant; Examining the group as a whole to assess whether there is a reduction in the beta value of stress with respect to psychological symptoms when network variables are added to the analysis. Method 1 indicated a direct network effect, but none of the methods indicated a buffering effect. Of clinical relevance was the nonlinearity of the network effects, that is, depending upon a person's stressor level, different network dimensions must be emphasized and strengthened.

Network structure and minimum degree

Social network researchers have long sought measures of network cohesion, Density has often been used for this purpose, despite its generally admitted deficiencies. An approach to network cohesion is proposed that is based on minimum degree and which produces a sequence of subgraphs of gradually increasing cohesion. The approach also associates with any network measures of local density which promise to be useful both in characterizing network structures and in comparing networks.

Postpartum Depression

Depressed (N = 11) and nondepressed (N = 19) women who had recently given birth were compared on several life stress measures and indices of structural and qualitative characteristics of their social networks. We predicted that depressed subjects diagnosed on the basis of Research Diagnostic Criteria would have experienced more stressful life events since the beginning of pregnancy and since delivery. We also predicted that depressed subjects would have fewer confidants and receive less instrumental and emotional support from their network members. These predictions were largely confirmed, except that the two groups did not differ on number of confidants. The social support provided by spouses appeared to be especially important. Implications of these findings for life events and social network research are discussed.

Reappraisal of social network research in educational contexts

During the past seven years, several important studies of social networks have been added to the educational research literature (Sarason & Lorentz, 1979; Litwak & Meyer, 1974; and Gittel'l, 1979). The term has also become popular as a strategy for promoting educational change. In the more general interdisciplinary research area of systems, the sub-topic of social network analysis or structural analysis research is presently characterized by sophisticated quantitative methodological analyses and serious debates designed to clarify terms and theoretical concepts. Some scholars now refer to systematic social network analysis as an emergent paradigm (Holland & Leinhardt, 1979). Whether or not one is willing to agree with that assessment, it is clear that social network analysis is an important area of contemporary scholarship. 1

Perspectives on Social Network Research.

Perspectives on Social Network Research.

Perspectives on Social Network Research. Edited by Paul W. Holland and Samuel Leinhardt. New York: Academic Press, 1979. 532 pp. $29.50

Perspectives on Social Network Research. Edited by Paul W. Holland and Samuel Leinhardt. New York: Academic Press, 1979. 532 pp. $29.50

Multiplexity in Adult Friendships

Multiplexity is the overlap of roles, exchanges, or affiliations in a social relationship. In two cities, adult friendship dyads are examined for multiplexity in three affiliations: kin, neighbor, and coworker. Several factors are proposed to account for multiplex ties: limited opportunities for social contact; preference for the special similarities that kin, neighbors, and coworkers have; and preference for holistic and diffuse friendships. Two structural features are discovered: repetition of multiplexity, and segregation of affiliations. These mean that if multiplexity appears in one friendship, it tends to be repeated in others. But the categories kin, neighbor, and coworker seldom appear in the same friendship. Repetition and segregation are demonstrated by comparing observed friendships with expectations from a random-choice model. When social and demographic differentials in multiplexity are examined, they confirm the importance of both opportunities and preferences in motivating multiplex friendships. Consequences of multiplexity for friendship behavior are hypothesized, and one consequence (contact frequency) is analyzed. Neighbor multiplexity increases friendship contact, a reflection of high opportunities for contact among neighbor friends. Kin and coworker multiplexity do not increase friendship contact. When adults develop close friendships, they sometimes select their friends from among kin, neighbors, and coworkers. In social networks research, this overlap of two or more important social relationships is called multiplexity. Although some studies report the frequency of such overlap, no study has seriously examined the structure and importance of multiplexity in adult friendships. Does multiplexity occur throughout a person's friendship network? In other words, if one close friend is a relative, are other close friends also relatives? Are friendships often highly multiplex, for example, kin friends who are coworkers or neighbors as well? What encourages people to develop multiplex friendships, and what consequences does multiplexity have for the stability and energy of friendships? This paper concentrates on the structure of multiplexity and its causes in adult friendships in two urban populations, with less attention to

Social networks and schizophrenia.

This artical begins with an introduction to social networks research and its practical importance in the understanding and treatment of schizophrenia, and concludes with a consideration of the experience, the phenomenology, of schizophrenia, from a social network point of view.

Social network research: Editor's introduction

Social network research: Editor's introduction

Network Sampling: Some First Steps

Social network research has been confined to small groups because large networks are intractable, and no systematic theory of network sampling exists. This paper describes a practical method for sampling average acquaintance volume (the average number of people known by each person) from large populations and derives confidence limits on the resulting estimates. It is shown that this average figure also yields an estimate of what has been called "network density." Applications of the procedure to community studies, hierarchical structures, and interorganizational networks are proposed. Problems in developing a general theory of network sampling are discussed.

The Number of Members as Determining the Sociological Form of the Group. I

The Number of Members as Determining the Sociological Form of the Group. I