“Inferring from the General to the Specific: What Happened? Why?”

Chris posted “Walmart and the ASA” to the orgtheory blog. The piece is about the recent ASA Amicus Brief which supports the use of social framework analysis by social scientists who act as expert witnesses in, and whose conclusions can support class certification of, large class action discrimination litigation cases. This issue is generating a lot of debate, on scatterplot as well as orgtheory, the outcome of which might have important implications for the role of social scientists in legal processes, such as the current Walmart case [more on the case here 1, 2, 3] to be decided on this summer. Discussion on the blog has also incorporated other issues relating to the mission and role of ASA.

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SMR 40.2 TOC

Table of Contents for Sociological Methods & Research 40.2 (May 2011).

Homophily and Contagion Are Generically Confounded in Observational Social Network Studies

Shalizi, C., & Thomas, A. (2011). <a href=”Shalizi, C., & Thomas, A. (2011). Homophily and Contagion Are Generically Confounded in Observational Social Network Studies Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (2), 211-239 DOI: 10.1177/0049124111404820“>Homophily and Contagion Are Generically Confounded in Observational Social Network Studies Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (2), 211-239 DOI: 10.1177/0049124111404820 

Featured article: Available to download free of charge until November 15, 2011. 

Abstract & References

Cosma Rohilla Shalizi Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, cshalizi@stat.cmu.edu 

Sensitivity Analysis for Contagion Effects in Social Networks

VanderWeele, T. (2011). Sensitivity Analysis for Contagion Effects in Social Networks Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (2), 240-255 DOI: 10.1177/0049124111404821 

Featured article: Available to download free of charge via Sage Publications until November 15, 2011.

Abstract & References

Tyler J. VanderWeele, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA, tvanderw@hsph.harvard.edu

An Extended Model Comparison Framework for Covariance and Mean Structure Models, Accommodating Multiple Groups and Latent Mixtures

Levy, R., & Hancock, G. (2011). An Extended Model Comparison Framework for Covariance and Mean Structure Models, Accommodating Multiple Groups and Latent Mixtures Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (2), 256-278 DOI: 10.1177/0049124111404819 

Abstract 

Roy Levy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA, roy.levy@asu.edu

Measurement Equivalence of Ordinal Items: A Comparison of Factor Analytic, Item Response Theory, and Latent Class Approaches

Kankaras, M., Vermunt, J., & Moors, G. (2011). Measurement Equivalence of Ordinal Items: A Comparison of Factor Analytic, Item Response Theory, and Latent Class Approaches Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (2), 279-310 DOI: 10.1177/0049124111405301 

Abstract

Miloš Kankaraš, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands, m.kankaras@uvt.nl

Multiple Auxiliary Variables in Nonresponse Adjustment

Kreuter, F., & Olson, K. (2011). Multiple Auxiliary Variables in Nonresponse Adjustment Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (2), 311-332 DOI: 10.1177/0049124111400042 

Abstract

Frauke Kreuter, University of Maryland, College Park, USA and Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany, fkreuter@survey.umd.edu