Citation
Goodreau, Steven; M; Kitts, James; A; & Morris, Martina (2008). Birds of a feather, or friend of a friend? Statistical models for social network structure. 2008 Add Health Users Conference. Bethesda, MD: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carolina Population Center.Abstract
This paper uses newly developed statistical methods to examine the generative processes that give rise to systematic patterns in adolescent friendship networks. The methods incorporate both traditional demographic measures on individuals (age, sex, and race) and network measures for structural processes operating on individual, dyadic, and triadic levels. We apply the methods to the adolescent friendship networks for fifty nine school groups in Add Health Wave I. We model friendship formation as a selection process constrained by individuals’ sociality (propensity to make friends), selective mixing in dyads (friendships within race, grade, or sex categories are more likely), and closure in triads (a friend’s friends are more likely to become friends), given local population composition. Whites and Blacks are the most consistently cohesive racial categories, and when Whites are in the minority, they display stronger selective mixing than do Blacks when Blacks are in the minority. Hispanics exhibit disassortative selective mixing under certain circumstances; in other cases they exhibit assortative mixing but lack the higher order cohesion common in other groups. Grades are always highly cohesive, while females form triangles more than males. We conclude with a discussion of testing network model fit, and how network analysis may contribute to our understanding of sociodemographic processes.URL
https://addhealth.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/docs/news/users-conference/2008%20Add%20Health%20Users%20Conference%20Abstracts.pdfReference Type
Conference proceedingBook Title
2008 Add Health Users ConferenceAuthor(s)
Goodreau, StevenM
Kitts, James
A
Morris, Martina