Applications of network analysis in psychology

Dissertation supervisor: Dr. Douglas Steinley.Includes vita.Methods and applications for network analysis can be found in a variety fields from computer science and machine learning to sociology and political science. Here I describe some methodological issues and propositions for the network analysis of data, especially in the field of psychology. Chapters one and two focus on the task of community detection, where the goal is to identify meaningful subgroups of highly connected individuals within a network, particularly in the smaller-sized network data sets of the social sciences. Chapter one describes current methodology and proposes a new community detection algorithm. This method is based on the Cohen's [kappa] similarity measure reflecting how alike two observations are in terms of their connections in the network. Through a simulation and a demonstration on real network data, this method is shown to outperform current methodology. The second chapter extends the use of the Cohen's kappa measure for community detection as a way to determine if the data exhibits community structure. Chapter three looks at a specific application of network analysis in psychology: creating networks of diagnostic criteria from survey data. The methodology discussed in this paper begins with the criteria as binary variables, indicating whether each subject in the data exhibits each criterion or not. From this data networks are constructed where the criteria make up the vertices, and the edges are estimated from their concurrence in the subjects. This study provides a cautionary remark for the use of this methodology on large data sets, as the estimates of similarity between variables might be inflated by the presence of large numbers of observations who exhibit none of the criteria.Includes bibliographical references (pages 81-87)

Cohen's kappa as a method for link prediction

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on September 9, 2013).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Thesis advisor: Dr. Doug SteinleyIncludes bibliographical references.M.A. University of Missouri--Columbia 2013.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Psychology."May 2013"As network data gains popularity for research in various fields, the need for methods to predict future links or find missing links in the data has increased. One subset of the methodology used to solve this problem involves creating a similarity measure between each pair of nodes in the network. Currently, these algorithms are not performing as well as needed. Here we present a new method, using Cohen's κ, to create a similarity measure between nodes. The effectiveness of this method is then compared to a number of other similarity measures and assessed on a variety of simulated data sets with block model structure. Since Cohen's κ can also provide information on dissimilarity, we then go on to test its use for detecting incorrect links in network data

Plasticity Characterization by Deriving Non-Linear Displacements for In-Plane Biaxial Cruciform Testing

In-plane biaxial testing using a cruciform type specimen is a useful experimental method to characterize the elasto-plastic material behavior under non-uniaxial conditions. Different stress states can be imposed to the specimen simply by varying loading ratios along two orthogonal axes. Experiments can be performed using one experimental setup and one specimen geometry. Among different control options for loading, the displacement control in each arm is a stable and consistent option to keep the static deformation rate. However, a non-linear relationship exists between the control parameter e.g., displacement, and derived quantities, e.g., stress and strain. Therefore, it is a challenge to achieve desired deformation paths in the main deformation area of the specimen. In this document, an interpolation method to systematically determine non-linear displacement paths is implemented using the finite element simulation method to produce linear stress and strain paths in the center of a cruciform specimen geometry. Interpolation is first applied to an AISI 1008 steel specimen, in which a previously interpolated linear strain path is improved with another iteration of interpolation. Interpolation is then expanded to produce displacement paths resulting in linear stress paths, having a constant stress triaxiality, for five different stress states of a SS304L cruciform specimen. The versatility of the interpolation method is displayed through the successful implementation for both strain and stress linearization as well as with two different materials and two specimen geometries

The Trilogy of Personal Jurisdiction and the Importance of \u3cem\u3eFord\u3c/em\u3e

Litigants and judges alike have struggled to understand and resolve the parameters of personal jurisdiction, particularly in product liability cases. This results in significant costs and time which is likely to be of little benefit to anyone. Much of this confusion arises from two problems: (1) most of the early Supreme Court decisions on personal jurisdiction arose from contractual disputes; and (2) when the economy expanded after World War II, and new automobiles, commercial aircraft, appliances, and other complex products appeared, the Court’s attempts to resolve personal jurisdiction issues were unsuccessful. For over three decades, the Supreme Court failed to produce a clear majority opinion, while at the same time, these cases were becoming more common and complex. In the past decade, however, the Court has quietly produced a trilogy of virtually unanimous opinions that offer pathways to resolve personal jurisdiction disputes. These decisions will be particularly useful in product liability cases of all kinds, which often involve suit-related events occurring across multiple jurisdictions. Once lawyers and judges understand this clarified framework, it should become easier for plaintiffs to make better decisions about where to bring their case and enable both plaintiffs and defendants to spend less time and expense litigating personal jurisdiction disputes

Grant Application: Visual Voices, An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents

IPEC Mini-grant application for funding of UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.https://dune.une.edu/minigrant_visvoice/1000/thumbnail.jp

Visual Voices Participant Recruitment Flyer

Participant recruitment flyer for UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.https://dune.une.edu/minigrant_visvoice/1001/thumbnail.jp

Visual Voices Project Pre-Post Survey

Participant pre-/post-project survey for UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.https://dune.une.edu/minigrant_visvoice/1004/thumbnail.jp

Visual Voices Approved Consent Form

Approved project consent form for UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents, designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers. This form documents the scope of the project and participants\u27 role therein.https://dune.une.edu/minigrant_visvoice/1003/thumbnail.jp

Visual Voices Weekly Session Scripts

Eleven weekly session scripts for UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.https://dune.une.edu/minigrant_visvoice/1002/thumbnail.jp