Western Washington University
Seminar in Social Psychology: Social Psychological Networks and Analysis
Winter Quarter, 2006
Miller Hall 165
Tuesday and Thursdays – 2:00 to 3:20 PM
Instructor -- Joseph E. Trimble, PhD, Professor of Psychology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Office and Contact Information -- Miller Hall 271 - Email – Joseph.Trimble@wwu.edu - Telephone - 650.3058. Office hours will be discussed in class and posted on my office door. I will be available after class for about one hour on most class days.
Readings -- Selected readings collected from journal articles and book chapters are listed below under each of the topic areas. Bound copies of the readings are available in the main office of the Department of Psychology in Miller Hall 220.
Required Textbooks (available in the Western Associated Students Bookstore or through an Internet book seller such as Amazon.com)
-- Scott, John (2000). Social network analysis: A handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA; Sage.
-- Buchanan, Mark (2002). Nexus: Small worlds and the groundbreaking theory of networks. New York: W. W. Norton.
-- Gladwell, Malcolm. (2002). The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Prerequisites –– C- or better in Psychology 210-250, 303, and one from 342 – 344 or equivalent courses in other departments
Course Theme
“They say you are not you except in terms of (your) relation to other people. If there weren’t any other people there wouldn’t be any you because what you do, which is what you are, only has meaning in relation to other people.”
--Robert Penn Warren
All the King’s Men
“Amid the seeming confusion of our mysterious world, individuals are so nicely adjusted to a system, and systems to one another, that, by stepping outside for a moment, a man exposes himself to a fearful risk of losing his place forever.”
--Nathaniel Hawthorne
Wakefield
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”
-- William Shakespeare
Troilus and Cressida (1602)
“A group is a social unit consisting of a number of individuals who stand in role and status relationships with one another, stabilized in some degree at the time, and who possess a set of values and beliefs of their own regulating their behavior, at least in matters of consequence to the group.”
--Muzafer and Carolyn Sherif
Social Psychology (1969)
The seminar explores concepts and theories associated with social psychological networks and their analyses. According to the theory of social networks, behaviors of individuals are best understood in social contexts and relationships; that is, “Networks are present everywhere…because everything is connected to everything else” (Barabasi, 2003). Network researchers have developed a set of theoretical approaches that include: (1) focusing on relationships between actors rather than an actor’s attributes; (2) understanding mutual dependence by emphasizing individual responses or structures of behavior rather than relying on social phenomenon characterized by a structure made up of sharply distinct and independent individuals or units; and (3) understanding how the structure of relationships influences outcomes.
Network analysts study relationships in contexts and how the patterns of interactions influence behavior and social change. Analysts use qualitative and quantitative procedures to explore the formation and nature of relationships in networks. In our seminar we will explore the use of some of these methods, especially relational graphs. Some of the course topics will include: the small world problem and degrees of separation including the World Wide Web; tipping points and the influences of small numbers on major outcomes; the 80/20 rule; the outbreak of riots, epidemics, and rumors; the power of context; and decisions, delusions, and the madness of crowds.
Student and Course Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing the course students will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
1). Identify and describe the basic components of a “social network.”
2). Discuss alternative conceptions of social networks and the role played by networks in influencing an individual’s behavior, world view, attitudes, and values.
3). Recognize and explain how social network theories explain the influence of the Internet in everyday life and social networks.
4). Identify and explain at least three sociological and psychological theories that explain how individuals form relationships in social networks.
5). Describe and illustrate basic social psychological principles individuals and their unique socio-cultural groups use to form and maintain social networks.
6). Distinguish among a range of social network constructs and factors and explain the influence each have in the formation and maintenance of social networks.
Skills
6). Analyze and critique scientific research articles that describe various social network topics.
7). Design and construct graphs showing social network relationships for different types of groups such as dyads, triads, and cliques.
8). Conduct in collaboration with others a small scale research project exploring selected characteristics, qualities, traits, or peculiarities associated with social networks.
Synthesis
9). Reflect and write about social networks as they relate to your personal life's experiences.
10). Identify and organize a range of social network constructs and theoretical elements and formulate a plan for use in assisting yourself and others in forming relationships with others.
Student Evaluation
In addition to attending seminar sessions regularly and doing the reading, the course requires that you work through a few exploratory exercises and present the findings to the class, be responsible for leading discussions during selected class periods (may involve doing additional readings), write an exploratory essay due at mid-quarter, and submit a literature review at the end of the quarter.
One of the exploratory exercises may require you to make use of computer software to perform basic analyses on sets of social network data such as a sociogram. You can use AGNA for your analysis if you choose to do so. AGNA (Applied Graph & Network Analysis) is a platform-independent application designed for scientists and researchers who employ specific mathematical methods, such as social network analysis, sociometry and sequential analysis. Specifically, AGNA can assist in the study of communication relations in groups, organizational analysis and team building, kinship relations or behavioral laws of organization (see readings article by Benta, M. I. Studying communication networks with AGNA 2.1).
Other software is available on-line for you to consider although most of it is PC based and in some cases is costly. Some of the packages are free, but they can be a bit complicated and highly specialized. For more information go to the following Web site: http://www.sfu.ca/~insna/INSNA/soft_inf.html. More detailed information can be found at: http://www.nelh.nhs.uk/knowledge_management/km2/social_network.asp.
For the midterm written assignment, I ask that you write an essay on a topic of interest to you that concentrates on social network topics. The paper could assume various formats, depending on where you stand in your undergraduate studies. It could be a discussion of the use of network concepts and methods in an area of social science that is of interest to you. It could be a paper that presents an analysis of network data, or a detailed proposal/prospectus for such a paper. One-page sketches of what you have in mind for the essay should be submitted by January 31, 2006. The essays are due on February 16, 2006. For the final activity I ask that you write a literature review on some topic (or replicate a study) within the field of social network analyses and conduct a small research project with three or four colleagues in the class. The activities must be discussed with me in advance. The final project is due on the last day of finals week.
Grading. Grades will be based mainly on the conduct of exercises, the mid-term written assignment, the final paper, and the group project report and presentation submitted at the end of the term, with greater emphasis on the latter. I will also factor in what I learn about your knowledge of network concepts and methods from discussions in class and observations about your work on the exploratory exercises.
Submission of work. Please submit hard copies of your written work. I do not accept written assignments in electronic form.
Extensions and Incompletes. No extensions are permitted on the essay, final project papers, and exploratory exercises. Extensions for the final term paper must be requested in advance and will be granted with reluctance. I strongly discourage you from taking incomplete grades in this course; as a rule, taking incompletes will unduly delay your progress through your undergraduate studies. While I realize that one often can produce a better paper by taking more time to produce it, it is usually preferable to produce a draft within a given time frame, get commentary, and improve the work later through revision.
In summary, student performance in the seminar and achievement of the student learning outcomes will be evaluated using the following criteria:
In addition, by the end of the quarter, seminar participants must complete a portfolio containing:
1). One 8-10 page essay on a topic approved by the instructor (due during the 6th week of the quarter) – 28 points.
2). One 10 minute oral presentation based on the content and theme of one or more of the selected readings for the course. Presentations begin the second week of the quarter – 15 points.
3). Conduct short exercises and activities listed in the syllabus and submit a 1 to 2 page summary of your findings and analysis. – 18 points.
4). One 8 to 10 page or more literature research paper (or research project) dealing with an acceptable topic in the field (due at the end of final’s week (March 17, 2006). You may substitute the literature review with a replication of the article and study conducted by Markku Lonkila (see Readings). – 50 points.
5). Small group presentation on a research project including a group report following conventional research report writing protocols (the final report on the project is due during the final examination period). Group size is limited to 4 or less – 24 Points.
6). Classroom participation in discussion of the readings and topics. – 10 points.
Point distributions vary according to the criteria described in detail in the various assessment rubrics prepared for this course; they are attached to the syllabus for your review.
Final letter grades will be based on one’s total point accumulation at the end of the quarter. The point distribution is as follows:
A = 130-145
B = 116-129
C = 101-115
D = 87-100
F = 86 or less
Each paper will be evaluated on several dimensions including the substantive and the mechanical (see Rubrics). The substantive dimension includes such features as writing style, evidence of considerable work expended, clarity, and ease of reading. The mechanical dimension includes such things as spelling, grammar, and proper sentence structure. Guidelines and criteria for both dimensions are available for student review and use. Students are required to follow the style guidelines of the American Psychological Association for every writing assignment. A guide for the APA style is available at - http://www.psywww.com/resource/apacrib.htm. Late papers will not be accepted.
Schedule of Seminar Activities
The following outline contains the general topics and approximate time allotted for discussion and review of assigned readings. At times, it’s possible that guest lecturers will be invited to the seminar to present and discuss relevant and appropriate material intended to supplement seminar activities. Additionally, PowerPoint presentations will be used to complement discussions. The seminar is organized around six basic units and corresponding parts or sub-units. Assigned and recommended readings are listed for each section. Students should familiarize themselves with the outline and the weekly activities, read the material in advance, and be fully prepared to discuss the readings during the seminar.
WEEK TOPICS AND THEMES
1 and 2 -- Historical and theoretical foundations of social network
analysis. What is the “connected age?” What are network data and
what are the networks that generate them? An emphasis on principles, concepts, and fundamentals in the field.
Required readings:
-- Scott. Chapter 1
-- Buchanan. Prelude
-- Freeman, L. C. (2000). See you in the funny papers: Cartoons and social networks. Connections, 23(1), 32-42.
--Hoffman, C. (2001). Introduction to sociometry. Retrieved December 9, 2005, from http://www.hoopandtree.org/sociometry.htm.
--Stevenson, W., Davidson, B., Manev, I., & Walsh, K. (1997). The small world of the university: A classroom exercise in the study of networks. Connections, 20(2), 23-33.
Recommended readings:
Activities:
Think of some small group of which you are a member (maybe a club, or a set of friends, or people living in the same apartment complex, etc.). What kinds of relations among them might tell us something about the social structures in this population? Try drawing a graph to represent one of the kinds of relations you chose. Can you extend this graph to also describe a second kind of relation? (e. g., one might start with "who likes whom?" and add "who spends a lot of time with whom?").
Prepare a brief one-page write-up describing your findings and citing evidence.
Resources:
--Social Network Analysis. Go to: http://www.ire.org/sna/
-- Social Network References (Academic Bibliography). A reasonably complete bibliography if you’re interested in reading the range of topics covered in the field. Go to: http://www.socialnetworks.org/
3 and 4 -- Visualizing social networks and their structural
characteristics. The language of graph theory including such
terms as paths, trails, walks, connectivity, dyads. triads, actors, ego
centric and sociocentric. Additional topics to include: clusters,
components, cores, group centralization, directional relations,
power and exchange, sociograms, and examples for the “real world”
for visualizing network patterns.
Required readings:
-- Scott. Chapters 2, 4, 5, and 6.
-- Moreno, J. L., Jennings, H., & Richard Stockton, R. (1943). Sociometry in the classroom. Sociometry 6(4), 425-428.
--Freeman, L. C. (2000). Visualizing social networks. Journal of Social Structure, 1(1). 1-22, (Retrieved November 22, 2005 from http://www.cmu.edu/joss/content/articles/volume1/Freeman.html)
Recommended readings:
-- Rapoport, A. & Horvath, W. J. (1961). A study of a large sociogram. Behavioral Science, 6, 279-91
Activities:
In a book titled, Structural Holes: The Social Structure of Competition, Ronald S. Burt argues about "structural holes" and suggests that social agents (people and organizations) may try to find "empty spaces" in the social landscape and create positions of power for themselves by acting as "brokers" between sets of actors who were not previously connected. Let's see if we can find some real-world examples of social agents who play this kind of "broker" role.
Use an Internet search engine to identify some kinds of "brokers." Who do these brokers "stand between?” What kinds of exchanges do they mediate? How do the brokers benefit from their position? Is there competition for the role of broker? Helpful hint: you might want to use a word processor's Thesaurus function to find some synonyms of "broker" to aid in your net search. Another hint: you will probably want to use more than one search engine.
Prepare a brief one-page write-up describing your findings and citing evidence.
Resources:
--Read about Graphs and Graph Theory (elementary). Go to: http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/gloss/graph/gr.html
-- Social networks analysis software and related resources. Go to: http://www.orgnet.com/index.html
5 and 6 -- Social relationships and small worlds. We consider how stars,
zones, hubs, connectors influence personal networks and their display.
What influences thresholds, cascades, and their predictability? Also, we will
discuss the factors that influence research and theory on small world
phenomena (six degrees of separation).
Required readings:
-- Buchanan. Chapter 3.
-- Gladwell. Chapter 2.
-- Kleinfeld, J. S. (2002). The small world problem, Society, 39, 61-66.
-- Korte, C. & Milgram, S. (1970). Acquaintance networks between racial groups – application of the small world method. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 15(2), 101.
-- Lyall, S. Return to sender, please. New York Times, December 24, 2000. Week in Review, p. 2.
-- Travers, J. & Milgram, S. An experimental study of the small world
problem. Sociometry, 32, 425-443.
Recommended readings:
-- Blass, T. (1996). Stanley Milgram: A life of inventiveness and controversy. In G. A. Kimble, C. A. Boneau, & M. Wertheimer (Eds.), Portraits of pioneers in psychology, vol. 2 (pp. 315-331). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
-- Killworth, P. D. & Bernard, H. R. (1978). The reverse small world
experiment. Social Networks, 1, 159-192.
-- Bernard, H. R., Killworth, M. J., McCarty, C., & Shelly, G. A. (1988). Studying relations cross-culturally. Ethnology, 27(2), 155-179.
Activities:
In a book titled, To Dwell among Friends: Personal Networks in Town and City, Claude S. Fischer maintains that the Internet is another place (albeit a "virtual" one) where new communities can be established. Fischer argues that really big cities allow people with even very narrow interests to find one another and create ties based on these similarities. The Internet might allow people to extend their search to "dwell among friends" still further.
One part of the Internet is "newsgroups" which are forums where people with shared interests exchange messages and information. From campus lab computers, you can contact a "news server." You may have such a service with a private Internet Service Provider. If you can't get to news groups, use the Web search to do this exploration.
If you have a newsreader: how many news groups are listed? Can you get any sense of what kinds of topics seem to be popular for forming news groups? Examine the content of one or more news group's postings [Warning -- Many news groups are not regulated or moderated, and materials posted in some groups may be personally offensive. You are not, in any way, required to view materials that you may find offensive for this exercise]. What kind of “interaction” is going on in the news group? In what way does it seem to be a "community”? In what ways is it not like a "community’?
If you use a Web browser: Do a search on some topic of particular interest to yourself. Locate a page that looks interesting, and examine it. Does it contain "links" to other pages? If you go to the other pages, do they have links back to the one you started from? That is, are there reciprocated "ties" among the pages? Do these kinds of linkages define a community? How so? Why not?
Prepare a brief one-page write-up describing your findings and citing evidence.
Resources
-- Albert- Laszlo Barabasi’s Web site on Self-Organized Networks. Go to: http://www.nd.edu/%7Enetworks/
-- Linked by Albert- Laszlo Barabasi. A Visual Companion. Go to: http://www.nd.edu/~networks/linked/photo.html
-- Small World Research Project developed by Duncan J. Watts at Columbia University. Go to: http://smallworld.columbia.edu/
7 -- Cohesive subgroups, affiliations, and network positions and
roles. Consideration of these topics serves as a way to further explore structural
equivalence including discussions on crisscrossing, role network position,
cohesion, and homogeneity in network analysis.
Required readings:
-- Scott. Chapter 2.
-- Buchanan. Chapter 6.
-- Werner, C. & Parmelee, P. (1979). Similarity of activity preferences among friends: Those who play together stay together. Social Psychology Quarterly, 42(1), 62-66.
-- Feld, S. J. (1991). Why your friends have more friends
than you do. American Journal of Sociology, 96, 1464-1477.
-- Cohen, J. M. (1983). Peer influence on college aspirations. American Sociological Review, 48, 728-34.
Recommended Readings:
--Lonkila, M. (2004). Phone notebooks as data on personal networks. Connections, 26(1), 53-61.
--Valente, T. W. (2003). Social network influences on adolescent substance use; An introduction. Connections, 25(2), 11-16.
--Widmer, E. D. & La Farga, L. (1999). Boundedness and connectivity of contemporary families: A case study. Connections, 22(2), 30-36.
Group Research Project:
Working with three or four other classmates, replicate the Small World of the University study by Stevenson, Davidson, Manev & Walsh (see Readings) where they tested several hypotheses about networks. I will provide more detailed instructions concerning your target administrator in class. Graph your findings using one of social network analysis software programs such as AGNA. Present your findings in class accompanied with at a four to five page write-up of your procedures, findings, and the graphs.
8 -- “The awakening Internet” and its influence in everyday life. We
compare differences and similarities in the organized and fragmented Webs and
networks through a discussion of search engine technologies, computer and social
networks, experts and authorities, and the “strength of weak ties” and structural
holes.
Required readings:
-- Buchanan. Chapters 2, 5, and 9.
-- Albert, R., Jeong, H., & Barabasi, A-L. (1999), Diameter of the World Wide Web, Nature, 401, 107-109.
-- Granovetter, M. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380.
Recommended readings:
-- Kleinberg, J. & Lawrence, S. (2001). The structure of the web. Science, 294, 1849.
-- Boudourides, M., & Antypas, G. (2002). A simulation of the structure of the World-Wide Web. Sociological Research Online, vol. 7, no. 1.
Resources:
-- A Little History of the World Wide Web. Go to:
http://www.w3.org/History.html
-- Studying On-Line Networks by Laura Garton and Caroline Haythornthwaite. Go to: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue1/garton.html
-- Uncloaking Terrorists Networks by Valdis E. Krebs. This paper looks at mapping covert networks using data available from news sources on the World Wide Web. Go to: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_4/krebs/
-- Network Visualization: The "Bush Team" in Reuters News Ticker 9/11-11/15/01 by Jeffrey Johnson, Go to: http://www.cmu.edu/joss/content/articles/volume5/JohnsonKrempel/
9 -- “Three types of epidemics” and the influence of tipping points.
How do innovations affect use patterns through networks? We examine examples
of viruses and fads and how just a few people given the right context can
influence a population through small networks.
Required readings:
-- Buchanan. Chapters 4, 7, 10, and 11.
-- Gladwell. Introduction. Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8.
-- Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81-97.
-- Rogers, E. M. (1979). Network analysis of the diffusion of innovations. In P. W. Holland & S. Leinhardt (Eds.), Perspectives on social network research, (pp. 137-164). New York: Academic.
Recommended readings:
-- Ryan, B. & Gross, N. C. (1943). The diffusion of hybrid seed corn in two Iowa communities. Rural Sociology, 8(1), 15-24.
--Valente, T. W. & Davis, R. L. (1999). Accelerating the diffusion of innovations using opinion leaders. Annals, 566, 55-67.
-- Fountain, H. (2000, March 7). Making order out of chaos when a crowd goes wild, New York Times.
-- Coleman, J. S., Katz, E., & Menzel, H. (1957). The diffusion of an
innovation among physicians. Sociometry, 20(4), 253-270.
10 -- Student presentations of essays and reports. Presentations should be
informtive and enjoyable. Do not read your essay. Prepare handouts
or structure a PowerPoint presentation. If necessary, ask me to make
photocopies for your handouts for class members
Note -- Student interest may necessitate spending more or less time on certain topics, thus requiring a rearrangement of the topics or time schedules presented above.
Acknowledgements –- I wish to extend my gratitude to Professor Robert A. Hanneman, Department of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside for extending me permission to use some of the exercises he uses in his course, Social Network Analysis. Other instructors, too numerous to mention here, have provided me with advice and suggestions for exercises and readings; I wish to extend my appreciation to them for their assistance and thoughtfulness.
References—
Barabasi, A-L, (2003). Linked. New York: Plume.