“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.

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

When Change Matters: An Analysis of Survey Interaction in Dependent Interviewing on the British Household Panel Study

Uhrig, S., & Sala, E. (2011). When Change Matters: An Analysis of Survey Interaction in Dependent Interviewing on the British Household Panel Study Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (2), 333-366 DOI: 10.1177/0049124111404816 

Abstract

SC Noah Uhrig, University of Essex, United Kingdom, scnuhrig@essex.ac.uk

Group-based Trajectory Modeling Extended to Account for Nonrandom Participant Attrition

Haviland, A., Jones, B., & Nagin, D. (2011). Group-based Trajectory Modeling Extended to Account for Nonrandom Participant Attrition Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (2), 367-390 DOI: 10.1177/0049124111400041 

Abstract 

Daniel S. Nagin, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, dn03@andrew.cmu.edu

Assessing the Robustness of Crisp-set and Fuzzy-set QCA Results

Skaaning, S. (2011). Assessing the Robustness of Crisp-set and Fuzzy-set QCA Results Sociological Methods & Research DOI: 10.1177/0049124111404818 

Abstract 

Svend-Erik Skaaning, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark, Skaaning@ps.au.dk

SMR 40.1 TOC

Table of Contents for Sociological Methods & Research 40.1 (February 2011). With this issue, SMR begins its 40th year!

Body Mass Index and Physical Attractiveness: Evidence From a Combination Image-Alteration/List Experiment

Conley, D., & McCabe, B. (2011). Body Mass Index and Physical Attractiveness: Evidence From a Combination Image-Alteration/List Experiment, Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (1), 6-31 DOI: 10.1177/0049124110390762

Featured article: Available to download free of charge via Sage Publications until 6/1/2011.

Abstract & References, View Supplemental Data

Dalton Conley, New York University, New York, NY, USA, conley@nyu.edu

Nonparametric Tests of Panel Conditioning and Attrition Bias in Panel Surveys

Das, M., Toepoel, V., & van Soest, A. (2011). Nonparametric Tests of Panel Conditioning and Attrition Bias in Panel Surveys, Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (1), 32-56 DOI: 10.1177/0049124110390765, view abstract.

Two Algorithms for Relaxed Structural Balance Partitioning: Linking Theory, Models, and Data to Understand Social Network Phenomena

Brusco, M., Doreian, P., Mrvar, A., & Steinley, D. (2010). Two Algorithms for Relaxed Structural Balance Partitioning: Linking Theory, Models, and Data to Understand Social Network Phenomena, Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (1), 57-87 DOI: 10.1177/0049124110384947, view abstract.

The Effects of Asking Filter Questions in Interleafed Versus Grouped Format

Kreuter, F., McCulloch, S., Presser, S., & Tourangeau, R. (2011). The Effects of Asking Filter Questions in Interleafed Versus Grouped Format Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (1), 88-104 DOI: 10.1177/0049124110392342, view abstract.

Estimating Propensity Adjustments for Volunteer Web Surveys

Valliant, R., & Dever, J. (2011). Estimating Propensity Adjustments for Volunteer Web Surveys Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (1), 105-137 DOI: 10.1177/0049124110392533, view abstract.

Multiple Sources of Nonobservation Error in Telephone Surveys: Coverage and Nonresponse

Peytchev, A., Carley-Baxter, L., & Black, M. (2011). Multiple Sources of Nonobservation Error in Telephone Surveys: Coverage and Nonresponse Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (1), 138-168 DOI: 10.1177/0049124110392547, view abstract.

Sensitive Questions in Online Surveys: Experimental Results for the Randomized Response Technique (RRT) and the Unmatched Count Technique (UCT)

Coutts, E., & Jann, B. (2011). Sensitive Questions in Online Surveys: Experimental Results for the Randomized Response Technique (RRT) and the Unmatched Count Technique (UCT) Sociological Methods & Research, 40 (1), 169-193 DOI: 10.1177/0049124110390768, view abstract.

SMR 39.2 TOC

http://smr.sagepub.com/content/39/1.toc

Model Identification and Computer Algebra

Kenneth A. Bollen and Shawn Bauldry, Model Identification and Computer Algebra, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 127-156.

Multiequation models that contain observed or latent variables are common in the social sciences. To determine whether unique parameter values exist for such models, one needs to assess model identification.

Assessing Group Differences in Estimated Baseline Survivor Functions From Cox Proportional Hazards Models

Daniel A. Powers, Assessing Group Differences in Estimated Baseline Survivor Functions From Cox Proportional Hazards Models, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 157-187.

The author discusses the general problem of evaluating differences in adjusted survivor functions and develops a heuristic approach to generate the expected events that would occur

Proportional Reduction of Prediction Error in Cross-Classified Random Effects Models

Wen Luo and Oi-Man Kwok, Proportional Reduction of Prediction Error in Cross-Classified Random Effects Models, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 188-205.

As an extension of hierarchical linear models (HLMs), cross-classified random effects models (CCREMs) are used for analyzing multilevel data that do not have strictly

An Alternative to the Bar-Lev, Bobovitch, and Boukai Randomized Response Model

Oluseun Odumade and Sarjinder Singh, An Alternative to the Bar-Lev, Bobovitch, and Boukai Randomized Response Model, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 206-221.

In this article, an alternative randomized response model is proposed. The proposed model is found to be more efficient than the randomized response model studied by Bar-Lev, Bobovitch, and Boukai (2004).

Latent Markov Model for Analyzing Temporal Configuration for Violence Profiles and Trajectories in a Sample of Batterers

Edward H. Ip, Alison Snow Jones, D. Alex Heckert, Qiang Zhang and Edward D. Gondolf, Latent Markov Model for Analyzing Temporal Configuration for Violence Profiles and Trajectories in a Sample of Batterers, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 222-255.

In this article, the authors demonstrate the utility of an extended latent Markov model for analyzing temporal configurations in the behaviors of a sample of 550 domestic violence batterers.

A Cautionary Note on the Use of Matching to Estimate Causal Effects: An Empirical Example Comparing Matching Estimates to an Experimental Benchmark

Kevin Arceneaux, Alan S. Gerber, and Donald P. Green, A Cautionary Note on the Use of Matching to Estimate Causal Effects: An Empirical Example Comparing Matching Estimates to an Experimental Benchmark, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 256-282.

In recent years, social scientists have increasingly turned to matching as a method for drawing causal inferences from observational data. Matching compares those who receive a treatment to those with similar

A Note on a Simple and Practical Randomized Response Framework for Eliciting Sensitive Dichotomous and Quantitative Information

Carel F. W. Peeters, Gerty J. L. M. Lensvelt-Mulders and Karin Lasthuizen, A Note on a Simple and Practical Randomized Response Framework for Eliciting Sensitive Dichotomous and Quantitative Information, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 283-296.

Many issues of interest to social scientists and policy makers are of a sensitive nature in the sense that they are intrusive, stigmatizing, or incriminating to the respondent.

SMR 39.1 TOC

http://smr.sagepub.com/content/39/1.toc

Mixture Models for Ordinal Data

Richard Breen and Ruud Luijkx, Mixture Models for Ordinal Data, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 3-24.

Cumulative probability models are widely used for the analysis of ordinal data. In this article the authors propose cumulative probability mixture models that allow the assumptions of the cumulative probability model

Analysis of a Two-Level Structural Equation Model With Missing Data

Wai-Yin Poon and Hai-Bin Wang, Analysis of a Two-Level Structural Equation Model With Missing Data, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 25-55.

Structural equation models are widely used to model relationships among latent unobservable constructs and observable variables. In some studies, the data set used for analysis is comprised of observations that are drawn

Cross-Survey Analysis to Estimate Low-Incidence Religious Groups

Elizabeth Tighe, David Livert, Melissa Barnett, and Leonard Saxe, Cross-Survey Analysis to Estimate Low-Incidence Religious Groups, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 56-82.

Population-based surveys are of limited utility to estimate rare or low-incidence groups, particularly for those defined by religion or ethnicity not included in the U.S. Census. Methods of cross-survey analysis

Fitting Log-Linear Models to Contingency Tables From Surveys With Complex Sampling Designs: An Investigation of the Clogg-Eliason Approach

Chris Skinner and Louis-André Vallet, Fitting Log-Linear Models to Contingency Tables From Surveys With Complex Sampling Designs: An Investigation of the Clogg-Eliason Approach, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 39: 83-108.

Clogg and Eliason (1987) proposed a simple method for taking account of survey weights when fitting log-linear models to contingency tables. This article investigates the properties of this method.

Visual Sociology Reframed: An Analytical Synthesis and Discussion of Visual Methods in Social and Cultural Research

Luc Pauwels, Visual Sociology Reframed: An Analytical Synthesis and Discussion of Visual Methods in Social and Cultural Research, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 38: 545-581.

Visual research is still a rather dispersed and ill-defined domain within the social sciences. Despite a heightened interest in using visuals in research, efforts toward a more unified conceptual and methodological framework for dealing vigilantly with the specifics of this (relatively) new way

Multiple Informant Methodology: A Critical Review and Recommendations

Stephan M. Wagner, Christian Rau, and Eckhard Lindemann, Multiple Informant Methodology: A Critical Review and Recommendations, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 38: 582-618.

The value of multiple informant methodology for improving the validity in determining organizational properties has been increasinglyrecognized. However, the majority of empirical research

Decomposing the Change in the Wage Gap Between White and Black Men Over Time, 1980-2005: An Extension of the Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition Method

ChangHwan Kim, Decomposing the Change in the Wage Gap Between White and Black Men Over Time, 1980-2005: An Extension of the Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition Method, Sociological Methods & Research 2010 38: 619-651.

This article extends the Blinder—Oaxaca decomposition method to the decomposition of changes in the wage gap between white and black men over time. The previously implemented technique, in which the contributions of two decomposition components areestimated by

New Developments in Sequence Analysis

Christian Brzinsky-Fay and Ulrich Kohler: New Developments in Sequence Analysis, Sociological Methods Research 2010 38: 359-364.

Sequence analysis was originally invented by biologists with the aim of comparing DNA sequences in order to find out to what extent two DNA strands are homologous

Optimal Matching Analysis and Life-Course Data: The Importance of Duration

Brendan Halpin: Optimal Matching Analysis and Life-Course Data: The Importance of Duration, Sociological Methods Research 2010 38: 365-388.

The optimal matching (OM) algorithm is widely used for sequence analysis insociology. It has a natural interpretation for discrete-time sequences but isalso widely used for life-history data, which are

Complexity of Categorical Time Series

Cees H. Elzinga: Complexity of Categorical Time Series, Sociological Methods Research 2010 38: 463-481.

Categorical time series, covering comparable time spans, are often quite different in a number of aspects: the number of distinct states, the number of transitions, and the distribution of durations

My Brilliant Career: Characterizing the Early Labor Market Trajectories of British Women From Generation X

Michael Anyadike-Danes and Duncan McVicar: My Brilliant Career: Characterizing the Early Labor Market Trajectories of British Women From Generation X Sociological Methods Research 2010 38: 482-512.

This article uses longitudinal data from the British Cohort Study to examinethe early labor market trajectories

Special Issue on Sequence Analysis

The entire February issue of SMR, a special issue on Sequence Analysis, has been posted to the blog. Users can download a PDF of each article free of charge. The special issue has been edited by Christian Brzinsky-Fay and Ulrich Kohler of the Social Science Research Center, Berlin (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung),

SMR Welcomes New Editorial Board Members

SMR has added six new members to the Editorial Board for 2010.

These 6 scholars took on a lot of reviewing for SMR in recent years. Please join us in welcoming

SMR Blog Launch: Registration + Setup

The SMR Blog officially launches on May 19th.

All SMR citations (with abstracts) since 2005 have been posted to the blog.

Book Review: Sociological Methodology, Edited by Ross Stolzenberg

Book Review: Regression Analysis: A Constructive Critique. Advanced Quantitative Techniques in the Social Sciences Series 11, by Richard A. Berk

Book Review: Regression With Social Data: Modeling Continuous and Limited Response Variables, by Alfred DeMaris

Question Order and Interviewer Effects in CATI Scale-up Surveys

Silvia Snidero, Federica Zobec, Paola Berchialla, Roberto Corradetti, and Dario Gregori Question Order and Interviewer Effects in CATI Scale-up Surveys Sociological Methods & Research 2009 38: 287-305.

The scale-up estimator is a network-based estimator for the size of hidden or hard to count subpopulations. Several issues arise in the public health context when the aim is the estimation of injuries occurring in a certain population,

A Coefficient of Association Between Categorical Variables With Partial or Tentative Ordering of Categories

Volkert Siersma and Svend Kreiner: A Coefficient of Association Between Categorical Variables With Partial or Tentative Ordering of Categories Sociological Methods & Research 2009 38: 265-286.

Goodman and Kruskal’s  coefficient measuring monotone association and its partial variants are useful for the analysis of multiway contingency tables containing ordinal variables. When the categories of a variable are only partly ordered

Is Optimal Matching Suboptimal?

Matissa Hollister Is Optimal Matching Suboptimal? Sociological Methods & Research 2009 38: 235-264.

Optimal matching (OM) is a method for measuring the similarity between pairs of sequences (e.g., work histories). This article discusses two problems with optimal matching. First, the authoridentifies a flaw in OM ‘‘indel costs’’ and proposes a solution

How Much Does It Cost?: Optimization of Costs in Sequence Analysis of Social Science Data

Jacques-Antoine Gauthier, Eric D. Widmer, Philipp Bucher, and Cédric Notredame How Much Does It Cost?: Optimization of Costs in Sequence Analysis of Social Science Data Sociological Methods &amp; Research 2009 38: 197-231.

One major methodological problem in analysis of sequence data is the determination of costs from which distances between sequences are derived. Although this problem is currently not optimally dealt with in the social sciences, it has

Robustness of Group-Based Models for Longitudinal Count Data

David L. Weakliem and Bradley R. Entner Wright Robustness of Group-Based Models for Longitudinal Count Data Sociological Methods & Research 2009 38: 147-170.

In recent years, there have been efforts to develop latent class models for trajectories. The semiparametric mixed Poisson regression (SMPR) model has been used in many empirical studies, but there have been few attempts to evaluate the robustness of the estimates

Goodness-of-Fit Tests and Descriptive Measures in Fuzzy-Set Analysis

Scott R. Eliason and Robin Stryker Goodness-of-Fit Tests and Descriptive Measures in Fuzzy-Set Analysis Sociological Methods & Research 2009 38: 102-146.

In this article the authors develop goodness-of-fit tests for fuzzy-set analyses to formally assess the fit between empirical information and various causal hypotheses while accounting formeasurement error in membership scores. These goodness-of-fit tests,