Network Science in Psychology

TL;DR

This paper advocates for integrating social network analysis into psychological research by providing an overview of methods and their applications to enhance understanding of social interactions and outcomes.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive overview of network analysis methods tailored for psychological research, promoting their adoption in the field.

Findings

Network analysis can elucidate social influence on psychological outcomes.

Methods are contextualized within psychological research questions.

Encourages broader adoption of social network analysis in psychology.

Abstract

Social network analysis can answer research questions such as why or how individuals interact or form relationships and how those relationships impact other outcomes. Despite the breadth of methods available to address psychological research questions, social network analysis is not yet a standard practice in psychological research. To promote the use of social network analysis in psychological research, we present an overview of network methods, situating each method within the context of research studies and questions in psychology.