Blockmodeling: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:20, 15 March 2022

Revision as of 03:45, 25 April 2022

Line 8:

While some contend that the blockmodeling is just clustering methods, [[Phillip Bonacich|Bonacich]] and [[Maureen J. McConaghy|McConaghy]] state that "it is a theoretically grounded and algebraic approach to the analysis of the structure of relations". Blockmodeling's unique ability lies in the fact that it considers the structure not just as a set of direct relations, but also takes into account all other possible compound relations that are based on the direct ones.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bonacich |first1=Phillip |last2=McConaghy |first2=Maureen J. |date=1980 |title=The Algebra of Blockmodeling |url= |journal=Sociological Methodology |volume=11 |issue= |pages=489–532 |doi=10.2307/270873 }}</ref>

The principles of blockmodeling were first introduced by [[Francois Lorrain]] and [[Harrison C. White]] in 1971.<ref name="Examples, 1999, pp. 5–34"/> Blockmodeling is considered as "an important set of network analytic tools" as it deals with delineation of role structures (the well-defined places in social structures, also known as positions) and the discerning the fundamental structure of social networks.<ref name="gener-black">{{Cite book |last1=Doreian |first1=Patrick |last2=Batagelj |first2=Vladimir |last3=Ferligoj |first3=Anuška |title=Generalized Blackmodeling |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2005 |isbn=0-521-84085-6}}</ref>{{rp|2, 3}} According to [[Vladimir Batagelj|Batagelj]], the primary "goal of blockmodeling is to reduce a large, potentially incoherent network to a smaller comprehensible structure that can be interpreted more readily".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Batagelj |first1=Vladimir |date=1999 |title=Generalized Blockmodeling |url= |journal=Informatica |volume=23 |issue= |pages=501-506501–506 |doi=}}</ref> Blockmodeling was at first used for analysis in [[sociometry]] and [[psychometrics]], but has now spread also to other sciences.<ref>[https://www.iioa.org/conferences/16th/files/Papers/Weber%20Introducing%20blockmodeling%20to%20input-output%20analysis.doc WEBER, M. (2007), “Introducing blockmodeling to input-output analysis”. 16th International I-Ot Conf, Istanbul, Turkey.]</ref>

== Definition ==

Line 32:

Different approaches to blockmodeling can be grouped into two main classes: [[deterministic blockmodeling]] and [[stochastic blockmodeling]] approaches. Deterministic blockmodeling is then further divided into direct and indirect blockmodeling approaches.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

[[File:Structural_Equivalence.jpg|thumb|Structural equivalence]]

Among direct blockmodeling approaches are: [[structural equivalence]] and [[regular equivalence]].<ref name="Examples, 1999, pp. 5–34"/> Structural equivalence is a state, when units are connected to the rest of the network in an identical way(s), while regular equivalence occuresoccurs when units are equally related to equivalent others (units are not necessarily sharing neighbors, but have neighbour that are themselves similar).<ref name="mrvar.fdv.uni-lj.si"/><ref name="gener-black"/>{{rp|24}}

[[File:Regular equivalence.jpg|thumb|Regular equivalence]]

Indirect blockmodeling approaches, where partitioning is dealt with as a traditional cluster analysis problem (measuring (dis)[[Similarity (network science)|similarty]] results in a (dis)similartiy matrix), are:<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="Examples, 1999, pp. 5–34"/>

Line 42:

* [[prespecified blockmodeling]].

According to Brusco and Steinley (2011),<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brusco |first1=Michael |last2=Steinley |first2=Douglas|date=2011 |title=A tabu search heuristic for deterministic two-mode blockmodeling |url= |journal=Psychometrika |volume=76 |issue= |pages=612-633612–633 |doi= |access-date=}}</ref> the blockmodeling can be categorized (using a number of dimensions):<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brusco |first1=Michael |last2=Doreian |first2=Patrick |last3=Steinley |first3=Douglas |last4=Satornino |first4=Cinthia B. |date=2013 |title=Multiobjective blockmodeling for social network analysis |url= |journal=Psychometrika |volume=78 |issue=3 |pages=498-525498–525 |doi= 10.1007/S11336-012-9313-1 |access-date=}}</ref>

* [[deterministic blockmodeling|deterministic]] or [[stochastic blockmodeling]],

* [[one–mode network|one–mode]] or [[two–mode network]]s,