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Field Methods
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Describing Changes in Personal Networks over Time

Scott L. Feld

Purdue University

J. Jill Suitor

Purdue University

Jordana Gartner Hoegh

Purdue University

Social ties are continuously being created and lost as well as changing their nature over time. We emphasize that network descriptions are specific to their particular definitions of ties. Then, we suggest that studies of change can focus on: (1) individual ties, or whole personal networks; and (2) whether ties are gained or lost, or change their characteristics over time. For each of four possible study types, we describe an ideal type, provide a concrete empirical example, and briefly describe illustrative published work. Particular networks can rarely be regarded as random samples of meaningful populations, and generalization to populations of networks requires often challenging theoretical considerations of the nature of the relevant populations, as well as statistical considerations of random sampling error. Nevertheless, systematic description of changes within particular networks provides the bases for more general understanding of processes and outcomes of changes of social networks over time.

Key Words: social networks • network change • network analysis • social ties • personal relationships

Field Methods, Vol. 19, No. 2, 218-236 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1525822X06299134
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