Beyond interviewer effects in the standardized measurement of ego-centric networks |
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| Institution: | 1. University of Hildesheim, Institute for Social Pedagogy and Organization Sciences, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany;2. Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Fakultät für Sozialwissenschaft, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany;1. Department of Methodology and Statistics, Tilburg University, Postbus 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands;2. Department of Organization Studies, Tilburg University, The Netherlands;1. MTA-ELTE Peripato Research Group, Eotvos Lorand University Faculty of Social Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/a, Hungary;2. Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church, H-1091, Budapest, Kálvin tér 9, Hungary;3. Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary;4. Institute of Mental Health, Faculty of Health and Public Services, Semmelweis University, H-1450, Budapest, Pf.91, Hungary;1. Division of Social & Behavioral Science, Bloomfield College, NJ, United States;2. University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States;3. Central European University, Hungary and Collegium de Lyon, France;4. Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary;5. Semmelweis University, Hungary;1. Educational Effectiveness and Evaluation, KU Leuven, Dekenstraat 2, Post Box 3773, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;2. Methodology of Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Post Box 7654, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;3. Professional Learning & Development, Corporate Training and Lifelong Learning, KU Leuven, Dekenstraat 2, Post Box 3772, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;1. Northwestern University, United States;2. Dartmouth College, United States |
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| Abstract: | The effects which interviewers exert on the collection of ego-centric networks have recently come into the focus of methodological considerations. Studies consistently show that the size of networks varies depending on the interviewer. We would like to expand on this research strand by pointing to different aspects which have so far gone unremarked in the discussion. First, size is mainly analysed as a network measure which is influenced during data collection, while other common measures such as network density or composition have not received sufficient consideration. Second, large-scale surveys using face-to-face interviews usually allocate interviewers to a single sampling point. Differences between sampling points (locality effects) are attributed to interviewer effects. Hence, we disentangle the effects of the locality and interviewer. Third, the discussion on interviewer effects often follows an “actor-oriented” consideration of how data collection situations are structured by interviewers. Expanding this approach from a relational perspective, we consider the relationship between the interviewers and respondents and whether this relationship influences the collection of network data. To test our hypotheses about the influence of interviewers, the locality and the interviewer-respondent relationship on different network measures, we use data from the 2010 German General Social Survey (n = 2827 respondents, n = 220 interviewers). The multilevel analyses show that the relationship between the interviewer and the respondent is not very relevant. Furthermore, the analyses show that interviewers have an influence on the network size but not on measures of their composition. However, evidence on the prevalence of locality or interviewer effects is mixed. Finally, homophilous interviewer-respondent relationships have very little effect on network characteristics. We find evidence of training and fatigue effects on network size. However, much of the variation in network size caused by the interviewer still remains unexplained. We draw conclusions on how to organize interview situations in surveys. |
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| Keywords: | Interviewer effects Network data collection Locality effect Ego-centric network Multilevel analysis Homophily |
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