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| doi = 10.1111/0081-1750.00098 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
| doi = 10.1111/0081-1750.00098 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
of [[Social cohesion|cohesion]] in [[social groups]]. It is defined as the minimal number of actors in a social network that need to be removed to disconnect at least two actors in the remaining group. It is thus identical to the question of the node [[connectivity (graph theory)|connectivity]] of a given graph. The solution to the boundary problem for structural cohesion, i.e., the question whether there is a single actor that acts as a bridge between two groups, is thus found by the vertex-cut version of [[Menger's theorem]]. The boundaries of [[structural endogamy]] are a special case of structural cohesion. It is also useful to know that k-cohesive graphs (or k-components) are always a subgraph of a [[k-core]], although a k-core is not always k-cohesive. A k-core is simply a subgraph in which all nodes have at least k neighbors but it need not even be connected.
of [[Social cohesion|cohesion]] in [[social groups]]. It is defined as the minimal number of actors in a social network that need to be removed to disconnect the group. It is thus identical to the question of the node [[connectivity (graph theory)|connectivity]] of a given graph (see: the vertex-cut version of [[Menger's theorem]]). It is also useful to know that k-cohesive graphs (or k-components) are always a subgraph of a [[k-core]], although a k-core is not always k-cohesive. A k-core is simply a subgraph in which all nodes have at least k neighbors but it need not even be connected. The boundaries of [[structural endogamy]] are a special case of structural cohesion.


== Software ==
== Software ==

Revision as of 18:08, 7 March 2012

Structural cohesion is the sociological conception [1][2] of cohesion in social groups. It is defined as the minimal number of actors in a social network that need to be removed to disconnect the group. It is thus identical to the question of the node connectivity of a given graph (see: the vertex-cut version of Menger's theorem). It is also useful to know that k-cohesive graphs (or k-components) are always a subgraph of a k-core, although a k-core is not always k-cohesive. A k-core is simply a subgraph in which all nodes have at least k neighbors but it need not even be connected. The boundaries of structural endogamy are a special case of structural cohesion.

Software

Cohesive.blocking is the R program for computing structural cohesion according to the Moody-White (2003) algorithm. This wiki site provides numerous examples and a tutorial for use with R.

Examples

Some illustrative examples are presented in the gallery below:

Perceived cohesion

Perceived Cohesion Scale (PCS) is a six item scale that is used to measure structural cohesion in groups. In 1990, Bollen and Hoyle used the PCS and applied it to a study of large groups which were used to assess the psychometric qualities of their scale.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Moody, James (2003). "Structural Cohesion and Embeddedness: A Hierarchical Concept of Social Groups" (PDF). American Sociological Review. 68 (1): 1–25. Retrieved 2006-08-19. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ White, Douglas (2001). "The Cohesiveness of Blocks in Social Networks: Node Connectivity and Conditional Density" (book). Sociological Methodology 2001. 31 (1). Blackwell Publishers, Inc., Boston, USA and Oxford, UK.: 305–359. doi:10.1111/0081-1750.00098. Retrieved 2006-08-19. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) [dead link]
  3. ^ Chin, Wynne W., et al. Perceived Cohesion: A Conceptual and Empirical Examination: Adapting and Testing the Perceived Cohesion Scale in a Small-Group Setting. 1999. Small Group Research 30(6):751-766.