Descriptive Communication Structure Metrics: A Preliminary Logical and Empirical Analysis.
Abstract
A systematic analysis of the descriptive communication structure metrics is seen as a necessary prelude to relating them in research to each other and to non-communication variables. In the absence of such an analysis research involving them would seem to run the risk of either (a) potentially misleading results, or (b) suboptimal use of data. This paper presents a logical and empirical analysis of three structural metrics used to describe the communication behavior of the individual group member. The logical portion of the analysis applies some general issues of index construction to the specific metrics under examination, and questions the utility of the individual connectedness metric for comparisons involving individuals belonging to groups of differing sizes. The empirical portion reports the results of a commonality analysis, showing the degree to which each of the metrics reflects the unique or common effects of the individual's total number of reciprocated links, the individual's total number of reciprocated within group links, the proportion of the individual's total that are within group links and the number of people in the group to which the individual belongs. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA030512
Entities
People
- Jane A. Edwards
- Peter R. Monge
Organizations
- San José State University