Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

6-2022

Abstract

What are the basic types of social network ties captured by name generators? While there have been several classifications proposed, and a large proliferation of name generators capturing various tie content has emerged, there is no clear way to map a given name generator to a particular tie type. Building on previous research, this paper proposes a framework for doing so in a principled way based on two studies. Study 1 is a dimension reduction of 24 common name generators. We find two dimensions (Valence and Social Distance), three positive tie types (Admiration, Closeness, Socialize), and three negative tie types (Active Conflict, Passive Conflict, Contempt) and use Youden's J statistic as a metric to identify the name generator that best maximizes sensitivity and specificity for detecting our tie types. We find that the most common name generators used by researchers fall within just one tie type (closeness). Study 2 models these six tie types as predictors and outcomes of important sociological variables and finds that each tie type is associated with distinct patterns of emotions, social support, social status, and social roles. Our taxonomy makes a contribution to network theory as well as study design. In particular, it advances our understanding of the nature of signed ties. We find that negative ties are both bipolar and orthogonal, and distinguish between two types of ambivalence. Moreover, the findings contribute to the further refinement and elaboration of a comprehensive taxonomy of network ties.

Keywords

Name Generators, Taxonomy, Tie Types, Multiplex Ties, Dimension Reduction

Discipline

Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology

Research Areas

Sociology

Publication

Social Networks

Volume

71

First Page

12

Last Page

31

ISSN

0378-8733

Identifier

10.1016/j.socnet.2022.02.005

Publisher

Elsevier

Embargo Period

6-6-2022

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Sociology Commons

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