Measuring Social Functioning

Question 1

Define social functioning.

Answer 1

That dimension of an individual’s well-being that concerns how they along with other people, how other people react to them, and how they interacts with social institutions and societal mores.

Question 2

List the 4 key concepts in social functioning.

Answer 2

• Social isolation
• Loneliness
• Social support
• Social networks

Question 3

Define social isolation.

Answer 3

The number of persons with whom an individual has contact or lives, engagement in volunteering or work, and membership in social organisations or clubs.

Question 4

Define loneliness.

Answer 4

Subjective distress resulting from a discrepancy between desired and perceived social relationships.

Question 5

Define social support.

Answer 5

The perception and actuality that one is cared for,
has assistance available from other people, and most popularly, that one is part of a supportive social network.

Question 6

Define social network.

Answer 6

A network of social interactions and personal relationships.

Question 7

List the 3 types of social networks.

Answer 7

• Whole network
• Egocentric network
• Mixed network

Question 8

What is a whole network design?

Answer 8

Involves defining a specific social collective (e.g., classes,
schools, neighbourhood), where individuals are connected to each other.

Question 9

List the advantages of the whole network design.

Answer 9

• Can detect ties/relationships across the networks, gain an understanding of a participant’s position within the network.
• Develop an understanding of patterns within the network.
• Use of list limits recall bias.

Question 10

List the disadvantages of the whole network design.

Answer 10

• Quite difficult to execute – time & resource intensive.
• May raise ethical issues as identities are revealed.
• Particularly if study social influences on risky or illegal
  behaviour (e.g. drug use).

Question 11

What is an egocentric design?

Answer 11

Involves asking individual participants about the members of their networks are.

Question 12

What is the difference in egocentric design & whole network design?

Answer 12

• Centres on a single individual rather than a whole network.
• No defined population/list for network members.

Question 13

List the advantages of the egocentric design.

Answer 13

• Less time and resource intensive than a whole network study
• Easy to implement in large-scale surveys
• Can be used to compute a range of measures

Question 14

List the disadvantages of the egocentric design.

Answer 14

• Relies on individual memory and perception on network
  members’ behaviour – affects data quality
• Cannot see the whole network, with patterns of relationships within

Question 15

What is a mixed design?

Answer 15

Using an egocentric approach within a sample that may be linked to each other.

Question 16

List the advantages of the mixed design.

Answer 16

Can compare actual and perceived network characteristics:
- Ask those respondents to name the other respondents to whom they are connected and ask them about their behaviours/attitudes
Might be useful in the case of ‘hidden’ characteristics
- e.g. risky or illegal behaviour of network member that may be hidden from respondent
May still consider people who are not part of the sample

Question 17

List the 4 types of name generators.

Answer 17

• Role-relation: types of relationships (e.g. friendship
  or kinship)
• Interaction: types of social contacts/interactions
• Affective: subjective evaluation of ties
• Exchange: with whom one can trade resources

Question 18

List 3 characteristics of social networks.

Answer 18

• Range/size
• Clustering and segregation
• Density: the extent to which a network is interconnected

Question 19

List 2 characteristics of social ties.

Answer 19

• Subjective features, such as emotional closeness
• Objective features, frequency of contact, duration, content of discussion and exchange

Question 20

Define degree centrality.

Answer 20

The number of connections a person has within the network.

Question 21

Define closeness centrality.

Answer 21

The average steps it takes for a given actor to reach the other members of the network.

Question 22

Define betweenness centrality.

Answer 22

The number of times an actor acts as a bridge along the shortest path between two other actors.

Question 23

What do structural measures focus on?

Answer 23

The linkages and connections an individual has with others.

Question 24

Which dimensions are included in structural measures?

Answer 24

• size
• density
• composition
• diversity/homogeneity etc

Question 25

Are structural measures regarded as a subjective or objective assessment?

Answer 25

Objective

Question 26

What do structural measures emphasise?

Answer 26

Quantity or number of connections.

Question 27

Are functional measures regarded as a subjective or objective assessment?

Answer 27

Subjective

Question 28

What do functional measures emphasise?

Answer 28

The quality of relationships (meaning, strength,
emotional closeness)

Question 29

What’s the difference between functional measures and structural measures?

Answer 29

Functional measures take into consideration the role or function of the social connection.

Question 30

Give an example of a functional measure.

Answer 30

Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-12 and LSNS-6)

Question 31

Give an example of a social support measure.

Answer 31

Interpersonal Support Evaluation List

Question 32

How does the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List work?

Answer 32

It contains 40 items that ask about perceived availability of social support; responses (probably true – probably false)

Question 33

How can we measure social capital?

Answer 33

• Membership in voluntary organisations
• Interpersonal trust
• Perceived availability of aid

Question 34

What is a position generator?

Answer 34

Assesses whether an individual is connected
to people who hold certain (occupational) positions e.g. doctors, dentists, lawyers etc.

Question 35

List the disadvantages of position generators.

Answer 35

Assumes that this provides the individual with access to a range of resources
- However, occupation might not be relevant for all kinds of resources (e.g. emotional)
- Many positions that provide important resources do not have ‘official’ prestige

Question 36

How is social cohesion measured on an individual level?

Answer 36

Ask the individual how he/she perceives his/her group,
neighbourhood or community.

Question 37

List the 2 domains that social cohesion falls in.

Answer 37

• Cognitive social capital
• Structural social capital

Question 38

What is cognitive social capital?

Answer 38

Individual attitudes, perceptions and cognitions about their group, neighbourhood or community.

Question 39

What is structural social capital?

Answer 39

Focusing on actual behaviours.

Question 40

How is social cohesion measured on a group level?

Answer 40

• Individual measures are aggregated up to
  group/neighbourhood/community levels to derive these
  measures.
• Using observable data (built environment, how often streets are swept, etc.)