Perceived group cohesion versus actual social structure: A study using social network analysis of egocentric Facebook networks |
| |
| Institution: | 1. University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands;2. Northumbria University, United Kingdom;3. University of Hamburg, Germany;1. Graduate School of Innovation and Technology Management, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea;2. Department of Interaction Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;1. MODUL University Vienna, Austria;2. Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia;3. Bocconi University, Milan, Italy;1. University of Copenhagen, Department of Political Science, Øster Farimagsgade 5, DK-1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark;2. University of Bern (Switzerland), Institute of Political Science, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland;1. Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University, United States;2. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, United Kingdom;3. School of Information, University of Michigan, United States;4. College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, United States;1. University of California, Berkeley, United States;2. Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel |
| |
| Abstract: | Research on group cohesion often relies on individual perceptions, which may not reflect the actual social structure of groups. This study draws on social network theory to examine the relationship between observable structural group characteristics and individual perceptions of group cohesion. Leveraging Facebook data, we extracted and partitioned the social networks of 109 participants into groups using a modularity algorithm. We then surveyed perceptions of cohesion, and computed group density and size using social network analysis. Out of six linear mixed effects models specified, a random intercept and fixed slope model with group size as a predictor of perceived group cohesion emerged as best fitting. Whereas group density was not linked to perceived cohesion, size had a small negative effect on perceived cohesion, suggesting that people perceive smaller groups as more cohesive. We discuss the potential of social network analysis, visualization tools, and Facebook data for advancing research on groups. |
| |
| Keywords: | Group cohesion Social network analysis Facebook data Individual perceptions Multilevel modeling |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
