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From temporal network data to the dynamics of social relationships.

ABSTRACT: Networks are well-established representations of social systems, and temporal networks are widely used to study their dynamics. However, going from temporal network data (i.e. a stream of interactions between individuals) to a representation of the social group's evolution remains a challenge. Indeed, the temporal network at any specific time contains only the interactions taking place at that time and aggregating on successive time-windows also has important limitations. Here, we present a new framework to study the dynamic evolution of social networks based on the idea that social relationships are interdependent: as the time we can invest in social relationships is limited, reinforcing a relationship with someone is done at the expense of our relationships with others. We implement this interdependence in a parsimonious two-parameter model and apply it to several human and non-human primates' datasets to demonstrate that this model detects even small and short perturbations of the networks that cannot be detected using the standard technique of successive aggregated networks. Our model solves a long-standing problem by providing a simple and natural way to describe the dynamic evolution of social networks, with far-reaching consequences for the study of social networks and social evolution.

SUBMITTER: Gelardi V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8479335 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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From temporal network data to the dynamics of social relationships.

Gelardi Valeria V Le Bail Didier D Barrat Alain A Claidiere Nicolas N

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20210929 1959

Networks are well-established representations of social systems, and temporal networks are widely used to study their dynamics. However, going from temporal network data (i.e. a stream of interactions between individuals) to a representation of the social group's evolution remains a challenge. Indeed, the temporal network at any specific time contains only the interactions taking place at that time and aggregating on successive time-windows also has important limitations. Here, we present a new ...[more]

PMID: 34583581

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Project description:BackgroundEfforts have been made by health research granting agencies to bring research closer to patients' concerns. In Canada, such efforts were formalized in 2011 with the funding of the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR)'s research networks to address research priorities identified by patients and accelerate the translation of research findings into patient care and health care policy. Among these networks, SPOR Diabetes Action Canada (DAC) has created patient-partner circles to facilitate their integration within the network. The nature of the relationships within this atypical patient-oriented research network is systematically explored in this paper.MethodsA cross-sectional social network study was conducted among the SPOR DAC's network members to examine inter-individual interactions, and the topics discussed the most between members. Descriptive data analyses were conducted to explore which discussion topics were discussed most among members whose primary roles were research, administration, governance, and patient representation.ResultsThe response rate was 51.9%, providing data on 76.5% of the maximum number of connections in the network. The survey captured 2763 inter-individual relationships. Responses to a sub-question inserted in the survey show that 482 of these relationships (17,4%) existed before joining the network in collaboration on a research project. Most ties captured in the survey were yearly or quarterly, while few relationships were monthly, weekly, or daily. In measured relationships, members discussed several topics, the most frequent being scientific research, patient engagement, network coordination and governance, and operations and management. The topics associated with the most significant proportion of relationships captured in the survey were scientific research (45.4%) and patient engagement (40.7%). Management & operations and governance & coordination follow, corresponding to 24.3 and 23.9% of the captured relationships. All discussion topic subnetworks were either somewhat or highly centralized, meaning that relationships were not equally distributed among members involved in these discussions. Of the 1256 relationships involving exchanges about scientific research, 647 (51.5%) involved a researcher, 419 (33.3%) an administrator, 182 (14.5%) a patient partner, and 82 (6.5%) a member whose primary role is network governance.ConclusionsScientific research and patient engagement were the most common topics discussed, consistent with the patient-centered research at the heart of the SPOR Diabetes Action Canada network. The study identified several relationships where a patient partner has discussed scientific research with a researcher. However, relationships involving research discussions were three times more common between a researcher and an administrator than between a researcher and a patient partner, although twice as many patient partners as administrators participated in the survey. The institutionalization of patient-partner involvement in large research networks is an evolving practice for which optimal engagement methods are still being explored.

Dataset Information

From temporal network data to the dynamics of social relationships.

Publications

From temporal network data to the dynamics of social relationships.

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