Multiplicative Coevolution Regression Models for Longitudinal Networks and Nodal Attributes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a coevolution model for analyzing longitudinal network and nodal attribute data, capturing homophily, contagion, and autocorrelation with extendable autoregressive processes, applicable to various data types.

Contribution

It presents a simple, extendable coevolution model with Bayesian inference methods for diverse network and attribute data types, including latent attributes.

Findings

Applied to international relations data.

Analyzed teen delinquency and friendship networks.

Demonstrated model's flexibility and extendability.

Abstract

We introduce a simple and extendable coevolution model for the analysis of longitudinal network and nodal attribute data. The model features parameters that describe three phenomena: homophily, contagion and autocorrelation of the network and nodal attribute process. Homophily here describes how changes to the network may be associated with between-node similarities in terms of their nodal attributes. Contagion refers to how node-level attributes may change depending on the network. The model we present is based upon a pair of intertwined autoregressive processes. We obtain least-squares parameter estimates for continuous-valued fully-observed network and attribute data. We also provide methods for Bayesian inference in several other cases, including ordinal network and attribute data, and models involving latent nodal attributes. These model extensions are applied to an analysis of international relations data and to data from a study of teen delinquency and friendship networks.