Short description:

A systematic, innovative introduction to the field of network analysis, Network Psychometrics with R: A Guide for Behavioral and Social Scientists provides a comprehensive overview of and guide to both the theoretical foundations of network psychometrics as well as modelling techniques developed from this perspective.

Long description:

A systematic, innovative introduction to the field of network analysis, Network Psychometrics with R: A Guide for Behavioral and Social Scientists provides a comprehensive overview of and guide to both the theoretical foundations of network psychometrics as well as modelling techniques developed from this perspective.

Written by pioneers in the field, this textbook showcases cutting-edge methods in an easily accessible format, accompanied by problem sets and code. After working through this book, readers will be able to understand the theoretical foundations behind network modelling, infer network topology, and estimate network parameters from different sources of data. This book features an introduction on the statistical programming language R that guides readers on how to analyse network structures and their stability using R. While Network Psychometrics with R is written in the context of social and behavioral science, the methods introduced in this book are widely applicable to data sets from related fields of study. Additionally, while the text is written in a non-technical manner, technical content is highlighted in textboxes for the interested reader.

Network Psychometrics with R is ideal for instructors and students of undergraduate and graduate level courses and workshops in the field of network psychometrics as well as established researchers looking to master new methods.

This book is accompanied by a companion website with resources for both students and lecturers.

"The PsychoSystems team at the University of Amsterdam has sparked a conceptual and methodological revolution in psychology. Their network approach to mental disorders is galvanizing our field, producing an urgent need for an accessible, user-friendly text for novices as well as for experienced researchers. Network Psychometrics with R is a splendid book that fulfills this need admirably. Importantly, the authors are seasoned teachers of network analysis, accustomed to introducing the approach to beginners in the field." -- Professor Richard McNally, Harvard University, USA

"This thorough introduction into all important details of network psychometrics, by a group of authors including many of the leading scientists in the field, fills an important lacuna in the literature. It is highly recommended for widespread use in teaching and applied research." -- Professor Peter Molenaar, Pennsylvania State University, USA

Table of Contents:

I: Network Science in R 1 Network Perspectives 2 Short Introduction to R 3 Descriptive Analysis of Network Structures 4 Constructing and Drawing Networks in qgraph 5 Association and Conditional Independence; II: Estimating Undirected Network Models 6 Pairwise Markov Random Fields 7 Estimating Network Structures using Model Selection 8 Network Stability, Comparison, and Replicability; III: Network Models for Longitudinal Data 9 Longitudinal Design Choices: Relating Data to Analysis 10 Network Estimation from Time Series and Panel Data 11 Modeling Change in Networks; IV: Theory and Causality 12 Causal Inference 13 Idealized Modeling of Psychological Dynamics