Informant accuracy in social network data IV: a comparison of clique-level structure in behavioral and cognitive network data

This paper examines whether clique-structure in cognitive data (i.e. recall of who one talks to) may be used as a proxy for clique-structure in behavioral data (i.e. who one actually talks to). The answer to this question is crucial to much of sociometric and social net-theoretic studies of social structure.We analysed the clique structures of the communication patterns of four naturally occurring groups of sizes 34 to 58, whose actual communications could easily be monitored, together with the groups' perceptions of their communications. The groups used were: radio hams, a college fraternity, a group of office workers, and an academic department. The analysis used clique-finding, block-modelling, and factor-analytic techniques, all employed in such a way as to maximize the accuracy of the cognitive data.After defining a way to compare clique structures between behavioral and cognitive data, we found that there was no useful relationship between the two, and furthermore there was no significant difference in performance between any of the structure-finding algorithms.We conclude that cognitive data may not be used for drawing any conclusions about behavioral social structure.     

Friends in locked places: An investigation of prison inmate network structure

The current study investigates informal social structure among prison inmates. Data come from the Prison Inmate Network Study (PINS), a project focused on a unit of a Pennsylvania medium security men’s prison. We focus on 205 inmates and their “get along with” network – an approximation of friendship in other settings. We find a weak subgroup structure dominated by two groups of “old heads” and characterized by moderate (non gang-based) race/ethnic clustering. Structurally, the network resembles adolescents in schools, suggesting that prison inmates are capable of successfully building peer associations. We conclude that under the right conditions self-organizing inmate society can foster social integration reminiscent of other social settings.     

Detecting measurement bias in respondent reports of personal networks

Inaccuracy of sociometric reports poses a serious challenge to social network analysis. Nevertheless, researchers continue to draw potentially misleading conclusions from flawed data. We consider two particular types of systematic error in measurement of network size: individuals over/underreporting others (expansiveness bias), and individuals being over/underreported by others (attractiveness bias). We examine evidence of individual variation in these biases in one apparently typical sociometric dataset. We specifically suggest that variation in expansiveness bias may commonly distort findings concerning characteristics of individual networks (e.g. size, range, density), and properties of whole networks (e.g. inequality, transitivity, clustering, and blockmodels). We suggest methodological improvements and urge further research.     

“Trying to blend in,what else can we do?” Intergenerational relationships among aged inmates

Aged inmates comprise a growing segment of the incarcerated population world-wide, yet very little research has been devoted to examining the intergenerational experiences of this cohort and the research that has been conducted has been inconsistent in its findings of victimization and negative social relationships. In an attempt to help fill this gap, this study examined the intergenerational elements of the lives of older (male) inmates and investigated their social supports and the degree of age segregation characterizing their carceral experience. Qualitative data revealed ruptured connections among inmates and their children and apprehensive relationships with younger fellow inmates or the correctional staff. Nevertheless, the findings counter the contention that the intergenerational environment is detrimental to aged inmates and that age-segregated carceral units would be beneficial to them.     

The school class as a social network and contextual effects on childhood and adult health: Findings from the Aberdeen Children of the 1950s cohort study

Little is known about the health consequences of the school class as a social network. The present study asked whether overall school-class structure has contextual effects on psychiatric problems in childhood and adult self-rated health. From longitudinal data on a Scottish cohort, measures of school-class structure (centralisation, degree of reciprocity and proportion of isolates) were constructed based on sociometric information. Multilevel analysis demonstrated significant effects of centralisation on both health outcomes. It is suggested that highly centralised classes are characterised by inequality, resulting in a low level of integration, with subsequent negative consequences for health.     

Structures of connectivity

From the earliest days of research on blockmodeling, one primary goal was to develop a method that would exploit the algebra of the social relations among individuals to describe the social structure of the group. This goal was reluctantly abandoned, however, because the presence of idiosyncratic relational ties in the data obscured the structure and no reliable method for identifying these ties existed. This paper presents such a method. We have found it useful to distinguish emotionally weak ties (Granovetter 1973), those with low intensity, from structurally weak ties, those that fail to conform to the pattern of ties that exist in and are reinforced by the social structure. The latter type of weak ties are the idiosyncratic ties that interfere with attempts to describe a social structure. This paper operationalizes the concept of structurally weak ties and presents an algebraic method for identifying them in sociometric data. This enables us to use the algebra of social relations to identify a blockmodel that describes the social structure of the group.     

The Contribution of Older Siblings' Reactions to Emotions to Preschoolers' Emotional and Social Competence

SUMMARY

According to Tompkins' (1991) theory on the socialization of emotion, young children's emotional and social competence are influenced by others' reactions to the children's emotions. Patterns of parental reactions to emotions have been shown to account for significant variance in preschoolers' emotion and social competence. However, the impact of others significant in the preschooler's life has been largely ignored. To help fill this gap, associations were examined between older siblings' reactions to 41 preschoolers' emotions and the preschoolers' social-emotional competence (i.e., affective balance, emotion knowledge, positive, prosocial, and provocative responding to peers' emotions, sociometric likability, and teacher-rated social competence). Using a multiple regression strategy, the contributions of sibling reactions and moderating demographic variables to preschooler emotional and social competence were evaluated. Certain sibling reactions, especially positive emotional responsiveness, were shown to play important roles. Many predictions were moderated by age of child, sex of one dyad member     

Casino gaining offense inmates: What are these men like?

The characteristics of 28 men convicted for casino gaming offenses in Nevada were determined. Twenty-seven of these inmates cheated using slot or video poker machines. Most of the subjects used slugs. The other cheated at cards. Compared to other inmates, a disproportionate number of inmates were white. There were no black inmates incarcerated for this crime. Eighteen (57%) of the gaming offenders were over the age of 40 when convicted, in significant comparison to 27% of the general population inmates. They had significantly more aliases than the general population inmates. None of the gaming offenders had a history of violent felony convictions. They had, however, a history of great social, marital, occupational, and financial instability in addition to a criminal life style.     

Position in formal structure, personal characteristics and choices of advisors in a law firm: A logistic regression model for dyadic network data

This paper presents a statistical model for the analysis of binary sociometric choice data, the p₂ model, which provides a flexible way for using explanatory variables to model network structure. It is applied to examine the influence of the formal structure of an organization on interactions among its members. It is shown to provide a general and precise method for addressing this substantive issue. We identify the respective effects of position in the formal structure (status, seniority, division of work and office membership) and selected personal characteristics of members of a corporate law firm on their choices of advisors. Flows of advice are shown to be consistently shaped by status games and the pecking order in the firm. Other dimensions help members in mitigating the effect of this strong rule. This approach ultimately provides more understanding of how members of such firms try to balance cooperation and competition in terms of access to and management of key resources.     

Social Integration and Mental Well-Being Among Jail Inmates

Although social integration has consistently been linked to mental well-being among the general population, this relationship has not been explored for persons confined in total institutions. Jails, in particular, represent unique conditions that have the potential to alter the traditional relationship between social ties and mental health. Although previously unexamined, social ties maintained by jail inmates outside and inside of the institution are commonly presumed to weaken some of the adverse effects of a stressful environment and positively influence mental health. The current study explores the impact of social integration on mental well-being among 198 male and female inmates incarcerated in a large county jail. The impact of marital status, parental status, and social support (both inside and outside of the jail) on various dimensions of mental health was examined. The results indicate that rather than promoting mental well-being, social relationships inside and outside of the institution are associated with higher levels of distress. Specifically, married inmates report higher levels of depression and anxiety, and inmates with close social relationships inside of the jail report higher levels of hostility, although gender differences in these patterns are evident. The results of this study suggest that social integration may play a different role for persons incarcerated in total institutions than among the general population due to the unique conditions of social stigmatization and separation from support networks.     

The Implicit Curriculum in an Urban University Setting: Pathways to Students’ Empowerment

Professional schools are developing conceptual frameworks that can be used to assess and improve implicit curricula. Students’ professional empowerment, defined to include perceived professional competence and identity, may be considered a vital outcome of these efforts. Our study evaluated measures and tested a path model that included perceptions of characteristics of implicit curricula (i.e., faculty and staff diversity, supportive faculty, opportunity role structure, and access to information) and mediating variables (i.e., participation, sense of community, and feeling valued by the school) as predictors of professional empowerment. Respondents were students (N = 423) of a school of social work in the northeast. Results supported the validity of the scales and fit of the hypothesized model. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

A Self-Consistency Approach to Prisonization*

A theoretical model is developed in which prisonization is determined by the self-concepts which inmates bring to the prison. This model was substantively tested using a Likert-type scale of Inmate Reference Group Identification as an index of prisonization. Self-concept was measured by the Twenty Statements Test and scores were trichotomized to form groups having legitimate, low and deviant social anchorage. The sample consisted of 257 male inmates from two adult prisons. The data were gathered by questionnaire in groups of 15–45 using a cross-sectional design. Four hypotheses were tested relating prisonization to type of social anchorage according to three institutional career phases. Using analysis of variance and contrasts it was found that prisonization was the greatest and increased in a linear fashion during successive career phases among those with deviant social anchorage. Those with low social anchorage showed an increase in prisonization during the middle phase and a decrease during the late phase. No change in prisonization according to career phase was found among those with legitimate social anchorage. The results suggest that self-concept plays a crucial role in defining both the likelihood and form of attitude change following imprisonment.     

Examining Factors Associated With Program Completion Among Women Participants in a Statewide Drug Court Program

The study purpose was to examine factors affecting women in completing drug court. Participants were 212 women drug court participants selected via stratified random sampling (by county) from the larger Kentucky Drug Court participant population. Various secondary data sources were used (e.g., participant assessment, Management Information System), and multivariate logistic regression examining 17 independent variables showed 4 variables were significantly associated with program completion for women: employment at program assessment, intravenous opiate use, number of times hospitalized for psychological or emotional problems, and conviction of a misdemeanor-eligible violent crime before drug court. Study findings can be used by social workers and other practitioners to better understand women’s drug court participation and to identify ways to tailor program services for women’s unique needs.     

The Interaction of Structural Variables and Discretion in Individual Outcomes: The Case of Length of Stay for Mental Patients

There is a long history or debate concerning the relative effects of external variables and individual discretion on individual outcomes. Yet, few attempts have been made to specify their cumulative effects on individual outcomes. Using length of stay in mental hospitals as our outcome measure, and type of commitment as our discretion measure, results from regression analyses indicate that discretionary and external variables (i.e., positions in the social structure) interact. Under conditions of low discretion, status resources have much stronger effects on length of stay than they do under conditions of high discretion. We conclude that external factors and discretionary variables can and should be included in the analysis of social action.     

Combating the social isolation of chronic mental illness

1. The diminished mental and emotional resources suffered by those with chronic mental illness (CMI) often lead to impoverished relationships that fail to produce satisfying connections with others. As a result, persons with CMI are frequently chronically lonely. 2. Moreno's sociometric principles and psychodramatic techniques for group therapy provide ways to increase interconnectedness with others by interrupting the self-reinforcing aspects of social isolation. 3. Role reversal, self-presentation, psychodramatic encounter, and sociometric exercises facilitate expanded emotional repertoire, let members know each other, provide relief from emotional distress, and produce information about the group needed to generate interaction.     

Estimating the reliability and validity of personal support measures: full information ML estimation with planned incomplete data

Egocentered networks are common in social science research. Here, the unit of analysis is a respondent (ego) together with his/her personal network (alters). Usually, several variables are used to describe the relationship between egos and alters.In this paper, the aim is to estimate the reliability and validity of the averages of these measures by the multitrait–multimethod (MTMM) approach. This approach usually requires at least three repeated measurements (methods) of the same variable (trait) for model identification. This places a considerable burden on the respondent and increases the cost of data collection.In this paper, we use a split ballot MTMM experimental design, proposed by Saris (1999), in which separate groups of respondents get different combinations of just two methods. The design can also be regarded as having a planned missing data structure. The maximum likelihood estimation is used in the manner suggested by Allison (1987) of a confirmatory factor analysis model for MTMM-designs specified in Saris and Andrews (1991). This procedure is applied to social support data collected in the city of Ljubljana (Slovenia) in the year 2000.     

Prisonization and its Consequences: An Examination of Socialization in a Coercive Setting

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to outline and assess the utility of a model capable of accounting for several consequences of confinement. Toward that end an attempt is made to integrate several variables emphasized by the two basic paradigms which have been advanced to account for patterns of assimilation into the inmate society, the “deprivation model” and the “importation model,” into a model that draws heavily on the logic of Etzioni's compliance theory.

The findings, which are based on an analysis of data obtained from a sample of 276 inmates confined in a maximum security penitentiary, provide substantial support for the theoretical expectations. Specifically, two measures of assimilation into the inmate society, degree of prisonization and type of social role adaptation, are shown to be related to several indicators of preprison experience, prison-specific influences, and the quality of post-release expectations. These two assimilation variables, in turn, are shown to be strongly associated with variables which imply that coercive organizations of the type represented by prisons are most unlikely to attain any rehabilitative goals. To the contrary, they seem far more likely to stimulate changes that are predictive of postrelease reinvolvement in criminality.     

Social Capital in Wide Family Contexts: An Empirical Assessment Using Social Network Methods

Using a sociometric approach to family relationships, we test the hypothesis that the way individuals define their family context has a strong impact on the types and amount of social capital available to them. Binding social capital is defined in terms of network closure, i.e. a redundancy of ties within a group. From this perspective, social capital is to be found in groups with a high density of connections, network closure enhancing expectations, claims, obligations and trust among individuals because of the increase of normative control. Bridging social capital is an alternative way of defining family social capital as a function of brokerage opportunities: the weaker connections between subgroups of a network create holes in the social structure which provide some persons—brokers—with opportunities to mediate the flow of information between group members and hence control the projects that bring them together. Using a sample of college students from Switzerland, we found that family contexts based on blood relationships such as those with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, provide a ‘binding’ type of social capital, whereas family contexts based on friendship provide a ‘bridging’ type of social capital. Inclusion of stepparents is associated with neither type of social capital.