Skip to main content
Log in

Evaluating the conformity of sociometric measurements

  • Published:
Psychometrika Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The problem of comparing two sociometric matrices, as originally discussed by Katz and Powell in the early 1950's, is reconsidered and generalized using a different inference model. In particular, the proposed indices of conformity are justified by a regression argument similar to the one used by Somers in presenting his well-known measures of asymmetric ordinal association. A permutation distribution and an associated significance test are developed for the specific hypothesis of “no conformity” reinterpreted as a random matching of the rows and (simultaneously) the columns of one sociometric matrix to the rows and columns of a second. The approximate significance tests that are presented and illustrated with a simple numerical example are based on the first two moments of the permutation distribution, or alternatively, on a random sample from the complete distribution.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bradley, J. V.Distribution-free statistical tests. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conover, W. J.Practical nonparametric statistics. New York: Wiley, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glanzer, M. & Glaser, R. Techniques for the study of group structure and behavior: I. Analysis of structure.Psychological Bulletin, 1959,56, 317–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkes, R. K. The multivariate analysis of ordinal measures.American Journal of Sociology, 1971,76, 908–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubert, L. J. & Levin, J. R. Evaluating object set partitions: Free-sort analysis and some generalizations.Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 1976,15, 459–70. (a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubert, L. J. & Levin, J. R. A general statistical framework for assessing categorical clustering in free recall.Psychological Bulletin, 1976,83, 1072–80. (b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubert, L. J. & Schultz, J. V. Quadratic assignment as a general data analysis strategy.British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 1976,29, 190–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, L. & Powell, J. H. A proposed index of the conformity of one sociometric measurement to another.Psychometrika, 1953,18, 249–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mantel, N. The detection of disease clustering and a generalized regression approach.Cancer Research, 1967,27, 209–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puri, M. L. & Sen, P. K.Nonparametric methods in multivariate analysis. New York: Wiley, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schultz, J. V. & Hubert, L. J. A nonparametric test for the correspondence between two proximity matrices.Journal of Educational Statistics, 1976,1, 59–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Somers, R. H. A new asymmetric measure of association for ordinal variables.American Sociological Review, 1962,27, 799–811.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Partial support for the research of the first author was provided by the National Science Foundation through SOC 75-07860. Equal authorship is implied. The work was done when the first author was at the University of Wisconsin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hubert, L.J., Baker, F.B. Evaluating the conformity of sociometric measurements. Psychometrika 43, 31–41 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02294087

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02294087

Key words

Navigation