Methodology Program

2008 WORKSHOPS

May 30 - RESEARCHING THE CONNECTED WORLD: An Introduction to Social Network Analysis

June 9-13 - ANALYZING DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES

June 23-27- HIERARCHICAL LINEAR MODELS I

July 15-17 - MODELING DIARY AND DYADIC DATA

RESEARCHING THE CONNECTED WORLD: An Introduction to Social Network Analysis

Instructor: Dr. Andrew Papachristos
Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
May 30, 2008; 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Are you interested in learning what constitutes peer pressure? How does marriage affect banking relationships? Global trade patterns and modern art? The answers to nearly all these questions are based in an understanding of social networks and how they are structured. This workshop will introduce the concepts and methods of Social Network Analysis, a burgeoning scientific field that spans disciplines. Researchers studying peer network, criminal networks, global management and business networks will benefit from this workshop.

The Workshop
The morning session will introduce a variety of network concepts and methods, with particular attention paid to properties such as: centrality, social cohesion, social contagion, formal characteristics of global and local network structures, and a brief introduction to statistical models for social networks. The afternoon session will guide the participant through a hands-on network tutorial using freely available software and data including PAJEK and UCInet (freeware). Please note that all participants MUST supply their own laptop.

ANALYZING DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES
June 9-13, 2008
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Instructor: Dr. Daniel Nagin, professor of Public Policy and Statistics at Carnegie-Mellon University.

A developmental trajectory describes the course of a behavior over age or time. This three-day workshop aims to provide participants with the training to apply a group-based method for analyzing developmental trajectories. This methodology has four significant capabilities: (1) the capability to identify rather than assume distinctive groups of trajectories, (2) the capability to estimate the proportion of the population following each such trajectory group, (3) the capability to relate group membership probability to individual characteristics and circumstances, and (4) the capability to use the group membership probabilities for various other purposes such as creating profiles of group members. In addition, workshop participants will be trained in the application of three important extensions of the method: (1) the capability to add time-varying covariates to trajectory models, (2) the capability to estimate joint trajectory models of distinct but related behaviors, and (3) the capability to link trajectories with distal outcomes. This workshop is offered in collaboration with the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan.

HIERARCHICAL LINEAR MODELS I
June 23-27, 2008
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Instructor: Dr. Aline Sayer, associate professor of psychology and CRF's Methodology Program Director at UMass Amherst.

Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) provide a conceptual framework and a flexible set of analytical tools to study a variety of social, political, and developmental processes. One major HLM application focuses on the modeling of longitudinal data or the analysis of individual change over time. Another set of applications focuses on data in which persons are clustered within social context such as schools, neighborhoods, or organizations. Participants will be exposed to a wide variety of examples, with emphasis on the interpretation and reporting of results. This workshop is offered in collaboration with the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan.

MODELING DIARY AND DYADIC DATA
July 15-17 , 2008
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Instructors:
Dr. Jean-Philippe Laurenceau, Psychology, University of Delaware
Dr. Niall Bolger, Psychology, Columbia University

This workshop is for social psychologists, family and medical sociologists, gerontologists, social workers, communication researchers, and researchers of marketing and organizational behavior.

Diary methods allow researchers to examine dyadic processes within the context of daily life in a way that is typically not possible with more traditional methods. Dyadic data acquired via diary methods present several data analytic challenges stemming from various sources of interdependence in these data. Traditional statistical methods (e.g., ANOVA, regression) typically focus on observations that are independently sampled, whereas dyadic diary data are inherently non-independent. Not only is there non-independence between members of the dyad, but also non-independence of observations within each dyad member. The hierarchical linear model (HLM) provides a conceptual framework and a flexible set of analytic tools to study interpersonal and family processes. One major application focuses on modeling longitudinal data where intensively measured (e.g., daily) time series data are clustered within persons. A second application concerns the analysis of dyads, where individual responses are clustered within couples, sibships, caregiving dyads, or other matched pairs. This workshop will consider the formulation of statistical models for these two applications (analysis of diary data, analysis of dyadic data) and their intersection (analysis of dyadic diary data).

The course will meet 8 hours per day, devoting equal time to lecture-demonstration and a computer lab. The focus will be on using the multilevel regression modeling framework (e.g., HLM) with some application using SEM. Participants should have strong backgrounds in multiple regression analysis.

A list of likely topics includes:
* Introduction to multilevel models for diary data
* Allowing for auto-correlated error terms
* Testing mediation in diary data
* Dyadic consensus and discrepancy
* Partners as multivariate outcomes
* Actor-partner interdependence model
* Exchangeable vs. distinguishable dyads
* Extending multilevel modeling to dyadic diary data
* Separating state and trait effects with centering
* Dichotomous outcomes
* Psychometrics of diary measures

SCHEDULE: Tuesday, July 15: 12:00 noon - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 17 -- 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Campus Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst.


The workshop is full and not accepting other registrations. (July 3, 2008)