200418 Using Perceptual Tomography in Network Construction and Assessing Network Interventions

Title:
Using Perceptual Tomography in Network Construction and Assessing Network Interventions

Speaker:
李宣緯 (Hsuan-Wei Wayne Lee), PhD, Academia Sinica

Time:
04/18 (Sat.) 7 pm PDT, 8 pm MDT, 9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT
04/19 (Sun.) 10 am Taiwan

Keywords:
Sociology, Social networks, Computational sociology, Network construction, Signed network, Network intervention

Abstract:
There are two main parts of this talk. In the first part, we introduce a new method for acquiring and interpreting data on cognitive (or perceptual) networks. We refer to the method as perceptual tomography, it aggregates multiple 3rd-party data on the perceived presence or absence of individual properties and pairwise relationships. Key features of the method include its low respondent burden, flexible interpretation, as well as its ability to find robust intransitive ties in the form of perceived non-edges. In the second part, a new prevention evaluation method is presented to disentangle the social influences assumed to influence prevention effects within communities. We formally introduce the method and its utility for a suicide prevention program implemented in several Alaska Native villages. The results show promise to explore eight sociological measures of intervention effects in the face of social diffusion, social reinforcement, and direct treatment. Policy and research implications are discussed.