1 research outputs found
Bayesian stochastic blockmodeling
This chapter provides a self-contained introduction to the use of Bayesian
inference to extract large-scale modular structures from network data, based on
the stochastic blockmodel (SBM), as well as its degree-corrected and
overlapping generalizations. We focus on nonparametric formulations that allow
their inference in a manner that prevents overfitting, and enables model
selection. We discuss aspects of the choice of priors, in particular how to
avoid underfitting via increased Bayesian hierarchies, and we contrast the task
of sampling network partitions from the posterior distribution with finding the
single point estimate that maximizes it, while describing efficient algorithms
to perform either one. We also show how inferring the SBM can be used to
predict missing and spurious links, and shed light on the fundamental
limitations of the detectability of modular structures in networks.Comment: 44 pages, 16 figures. Code is freely available as part of graph-tool
at https://graph-tool.skewed.de . See also the HOWTO at
https://graph-tool.skewed.de/static/doc/demos/inference/inference.htm