Although longitudinal social network data are increasingly collected, there are few guides on how to navigate the range of available tools for longitudinal network analysis. The applied social scientist is left to wonder: Which model is most appropriate for my data? How should I get started with this modeling strategy? And how do I know if my model is any good? This book answers these questions. Author Scott Duxbury assumes that the reader is familiar with network measurement, description, and notation, and is versed in regression analysis, but is likely unfamiliar with statistical network methods. The goal of the book is to guide readers towards choosing, applying, assessing, and interpreting a longitudinal network model, and each chapter is organized with a specific data structure or research question in mind. A companion website includes data and R code to replicate the examples in the book.

This volume reviews longitudinal models and analysis procedures for use in the behavioral and social sciences. Written by distinguished experts in the field, the book presents the most current approaches and theories, and the technical problems that may be encountered along the way. Readers will find new ideas about the use of longitudinal analysis in solving problems that arise due to the specific nature of the research design and the data available. Longitudinal Models in the Behavioral and Related Sciences opens with the latest theoretical developments. In particular, the book addresses situations that arise due to the categorical nature of the data, issues related to state space modeling, and potential problems that may arise from network analysis and/or growth-curve data. The focus of part two is on the application of longitudinal modeling in a variety of disciplines. The book features applications such as heterogeneity on the patterns of a firm’s profit, on house prices, and on delinquent behavior; non-linearity in growth in assessing cognitive aging; measurement error issues in longitudinal research; and distance association for the analysis of change. Part two clearly demonstrates the caution that should be taken when applying longitudinal modeling as well as in the interpretation of the results. This new volume is ideal for advanced students and researchers in psychology, sociology, education, economics, management, medicine, and neuroscience.

This text on the theory and applications of network science is aimed at beginning graduate students in statistics, data science, computer science, machine learning, and mathematics, as well as advanced students in business, computational biology, physics, social science, and engineering working with large, complex relational data sets. It provides an exciting array of analysis tools, including probability models, graph theory, and computational algorithms, exposing students to ways of thinking about types of data that are different from typical statistical data. Concepts are demonstrated in the context of real applications, such as relationships between financial institutions, between genes or proteins, between neurons in the brain, and between terrorist groups. Methods and models described in detail include random graph models, percolation processes, methods for sampling from huge networks, network partitioning, and community detection. In addition to static networks the book introduces dynamic networks such as epidemics, where time is an important component.

Networks are ubiquitous in science and have become a focal point for discussion in everyday life. Formal statistical models for the analysis of network data have emerged as a major topic of interest in diverse areas of study, and most of these involve a form of graphical representation. Probability models on graphs date back to 1959. Along with empirical studies in social psychology and sociology from the 1960s, these early works generated an active network community and a substantial literature in the 1970s. This effort moved into the statistical literature in the late 1970s and 1980s, and the past decade has seen a burgeoning network literature in statistical physics and computer science. The growth of the World Wide Web and the emergence of online networking communities such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, and a host of more specialized professional network communities has intensified interest in the study of networks and network data. Our goal in this review is to provide the reader with an entry point to this burgeoning literature. We begin with an overview of the historical development of statistical network modeling and then we introduce a number of examples that have been studied in the network literature. Our subsequent discussion focuses on a number of prominent static and dynamic network models and their interconnections. We emphasize formal model descriptions, and pay special attention to the interpretation of parameters and their estimation. We end with a description of some open problems and challenges for machine learning and statistics.

Presenting a comprehensive resource for the mastery of network analysis in R, the goal of Network Analysis with R is to introduce modern network analysis techniques in R to social, physical, and health scientists. The mathematical foundations of network analysis are emphasized in an accessible way and readers are guided through the basic steps of network studies: network conceptualization, data collection and management, network description, visualization, and building and testing statistical models of networks. As with all of the books in the Use R! series, each chapter contains extensive R code and detailed visualizations of datasets. Appendices will describe the R network packages and the datasets used in the book. An R package developed specifically for the book, available to readers on GitHub, contains relevant code and real-world network datasets as well.

This volume reviews the challenges and alternative approaches to modeling how individuals change across time and provides methodologies and data analytic strategies for behavioral and social science researchers. This accessible guide provides concrete, clear examples of how contextual factors can be included in most research studies. Each chapter can be understood independently, allowing readers to first focus on areas most relevant to their work. The opening chapter demonstrates the various ways contextual factors are represented—as covariates, predictors, outcomes, moderators, mediators, or mediated effects. Succeeding chapters review "best practice" techniques for treating missing data, making model comparisons, and scaling across developmental age ranges. Other chapters focus on specific statistical techniques such as multilevel modeling and multiple-group and multilevel SEM, and how to incorporate tests of mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation. Critical measurement and theoretical issues are discussed, particularly how age can be represented and the ways in which context can be conceptualized. The final chapter provides a compelling call to include contextual factors in theorizing and research. This book will appeal to researchers and advanced students conducting developmental, social, clinical, or educational research, as well as those in related areas such as psychology and linguistics.

Social Network Analysis and Education: Theory, Methods & Applications provides an introduction to the theories, methods, and applications that constitute the social network perspective. Unlike more general texts, this applied title is designed for those current and aspiring educational researchers learning how to study, conceptualize, and analyze social networks. Brian V. Carolan's main intent is to encourage you to consider the social network perspective in light of your emerging research interests and evaluate how well this perspective illuminates the social complexities surrounding educational phenomena. Relying on diverse examples drawn from the educational research literature, this book makes explicit how the theories and methods associated with social network analysis can be used to better describe and explain the social complexities surrounding varied educational phenomena.

In the summer of 2002, the Office of Naval Research asked the Committee on Human Factors to hold a workshop on dynamic social network and analysis. The primary purpose of the workshop was to bring together scientists who represent a diversity of views and approaches to share their insights, commentary, and critiques on the developing body of social network analysis research and application. The secondary purpose was to provide sound models and applications for current problems of national importance, with a particular focus on national security. This workshop is one of several activities undertaken by the National Research Council that bears on the contributions of various scientific disciplines to understanding and defending against terrorism. The presentations were grouped in four sessions â€" Social Network Theory Perspectives, Dynamic Social Networks, Metrics and Models, and Networked Worlds â€" each of which concluded with a discussant-led roundtable discussion among the presenters and workshop attendees on the themes and issues raised in the session.

The Handbook of Personality Dynamics and Processes is a primer to the basic and most important concepts, theories, methods, empirical findings, and applications of personality dynamics and processes. This book details how personality psychology has evolved from descriptive research to a more explanatory and dynamic science of personality, thus bridging structure- and process-based approaches, and it also reflects personality psychology's interest in the dynamic organization and interplay of thoughts, feelings, desires, and actions within persons who are always embedded into social, cultural and historic contexts. The Handbook of Personality Dynamics and Processes tackles each topic with a range of methods geared towards assessing and analyzing their dynamic nature, such as ecological momentary sampling of personality manifestations in real-life; dynamic modeling of time-series or longitudinal personality data; network modeling and simulation; and systems-theoretical models of dynamic processes. - Ties topics and methods together for a more dynamic understanding of personality - Summarizes existing knowledge and insights of personality dynamics and processes - Covers a broad compilation of cutting-edge insights - Addresses the biophysiological and social mechanisms underlying the expression and effects of personality - Examines within-person consistency and variability

For both students and professionals seeking to understand the burgeoning field of network analysis, our text offers a comprehensive overview that integrates theory, method, and cutting-edge application with R (a free platform that is becoming the standard for the field).