Social networks created with different techniques are not comparable
Social networks created with different techniques are not comparable
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DOI：
10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.07.023
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发表时间：
2014-10-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Carter, Alecia J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Castles, Madelaine;Heinsohn, Robert;Carter, Alecia J.
最近应用社会网络分析动物种群提供了一个工具，以量化群体动态和个人的社会地位，这可能会提高我们的社会性的成本和收益的理解和社会内的行为策略的演变。尽管如此，对于是否可以在使用不同采样技术的研究之间进行比较，仍然存在不确定性。我们比较了社交网络构建的两个互动和三个接近的技术，经常在文献中使用，在自我网络和全球网络的水平，每年收集的数据，两个部队的查克玛狒狒，巴布亚ursinus，超过3年。我们在全球和个人层面上获得了非常不同的结果，证明了使用不同的交互和邻近技术构建的网络之间的明显区别。虽然互动技术在整个全球层面上可能是可比的，但接近技术却不是，我们在自我网络层面上发现了相反的情况：接近技术可以比较，而互动技术则不能。由于所创建的网络之间存在明显的区别，因此在社交网络研究中使用接近度作为社交互动的代理时应谨慎（反之亦然）。此外，我们的研究结果表明，部队和研究季节之间的变化很大，再次强调了在社交网络分析中纳入时间变化的重要性。研究者在比较不同技术构建的网络时，应考虑抽样技术对网络的影响。(C)2014年动物行为研究协会。由爱思唯尔有限公司出版。保留所有权利。
The recent application of social network analysis to animal populations has provided a tool to quantify group dynamics and individual social positions, which may enhance our understanding of the costs and benefits of sociality and the evolution of behavioural strategies within societies. Despite this, uncertainties remain about whether comparisons can be drawn between studies in which different sampling techniques have been used. We compared social networks constructed from two interaction and three proximity techniques that are frequently used in the literature, at both the ego network and global network levels, using data collected annually for two troops of chacma baboons, Papio ursinus, over 3 years. We obtained very different results at both the global and individual levels, demonstrating the clear distinction between networks built using different interaction and proximity techniques. While interaction techniques may be comparable at the whole global level, proximity techniques were not, and we found the opposite at the ego network level: proximity techniques could be compared whereas interaction techniques could not. As there was a clear distinction between the networks created, caution should be taken when using proximity as a proxy for social interactions (and vice versa) in social network studies. Further, our results showed high variation between troops and study seasons, reemphasizing the importance of incorporating temporal change in the analysis of social networks. Researchers should consider the effects of sampling technique on the networks produced when comparing networks created from different techniques. (C) 2014 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.