Question 1

What is meant by the 'friendship paradox'?
A) The phenomenon that people have approximately the same number of friends as their friends have on average
B) The phenomenon that people have fewer friends on average than their friends have on average
C) The phenomenon that people have more friends on average than their friends have on average

Accepted Answer

The friendship paradox refers to the phenomenon that, on average, people have fewer friends than their friends have. This is because people with many friends are more likely to be counted multiple times in the friend count of their individual friends, thus inflating the average number of friends for the whole group.

Question 2

Fill in the blanks: In social network studies, individuals in the network are called (A), and they are connected to each other via (B).
A) A is 'edges' and B is 'alters'
B) A is 'egos' and B is 'nodes'
C) A is 'nodes' and B is 'edges'

Accepted Answer

In social network studies, the individuals in the network are called 'nodes', and they are connected to each other via 'edges'. Option A refers to 'alters' which is not a term used in social network studies, and option B refers to 'egos' which only refers to a specific type of node (i.e., the individual that the study is centered around).

Question 3

A dyad is…
A) a (possible) relationship between an ego and an alter
B) (possible) relationships between three nodes
C) a node in the network

Accepted Answer

A dyad refers to a relationship between two nodes in a network, with one node being the ego and the other node being the alter. Therefore, the correct answer is A. B is incorrect as it refers to relationships between three nodes, and C is incorrect as it refers to a single node within the network.

Question 4

Person A is nominated by person B and C as a friend. Person A nominated D as a friend. What is true?
A) Person's A indegree is 2 and person's B outdegree is 1
B) Person's A indegree is .5 and person's B outdegree is 2
C) Person's A indegree is 1 and person's B outdegree is 2

Accepted Answer

Person A's indegree is 2 because two people (B and C) nominated A as a friend. Person B's outdegree is 1 because B nominated only one person (A) as a friend.

Question 5

Fill in the blank: The distinction between strong and weak is based on ______, frequency of interaction, and reciprocity between two actors
A) shared characteristics
B) geographical distance
C) emotional closeness

Accepted Answer

The distinction between strong and weak ties is based on emotional closeness, frequency of interaction, and reciprocity between two actors, as these factors significantly influence the strength of the relationship.

Question 6

The core network constists of:
A) mostly strong ties
B) mostly weak ties
C) approximately the same amount of strong and weak ties

Accepted Answer

The core network typically consists of mostly strong ties, as it is made up of individuals with whom one has close, often emotionally intense, relationships.

Question 7

Dunbar's number indicates the maximum number of active contacts the human brain can mantain. This number is:
A) 300
B) 50
C) 150

Accepted Answer

Dunbar's number is the theory that the human brain can only maintain meaningful social relationships with a maximum of 150 individuals. While the exact number may vary from person to person, studies have shown that groups larger than 150 tend to break down into smaller subgroups, suggesting that this is a natural limit for social organization. Option A) and B) are not the correct choices as they exceeds the actual Dunbar's number.

Question 8

The idea that the distribution of personal network size follows a power law means that:
A) a small number of individuals have an extremely high number of social ties
B) a small number of individuals have an extremely low number of social ties
C) a large number of individuals have an extremely high number of social ties

Accepted Answer

The power law distribution implies that there are a few individuals who have an extremely high number of social ties, while most individuals have a small number of ties.

Question 9

What is "network density"?
A) the ratio of realized ties to the number of all possible ties in a network
B) the average degree of tie strength in a social network
C) the sum of all existing ties divided by the number of nodes in a network

Accepted Answer

Network density refers to the ratio of realized ties (or existing connections) to the number of all possible ties in a network. It is a measure of how connected or clustered a network is. A high network density indicates that there are many connections among the nodes in the network, while a low network density suggests that there are fewer connections.

Question 10

Transitivity means that..
A) if ego A knows B and C, then B and C also know each other
B) that ego A is uncomfortable having friends B and C who are not having such positive ties with each other
C) ego A has ties to friends B and C who are similar with respect to certain characteristics

Accepted Answer

Transitivity refers to the property of a social network where if ego A knows both B and C, then B and C are also likely to know each other. In other words, there is a relationship between A, B, and C that is transitive. Choice B is incorrect as it refers to personal discomfort, which is not a part of the definition of transitivity. Choice C is incorrect as it refers to similar characteristics, which is not a defining feature of transitivity.

Question 11

The 'small world phenomenon' indicates that in large-scale contemporary societies…
A) two randomly chosen individuals have friends in common
B) two randomly chosen individuals belong to the same community
C) two randomly chosen individuals are connected in only a few steps

Accepted Answer

The small world phenomenon suggests that even in large-scale societies, two randomly chosen individuals are likely to be connected to each other by only a few degrees of separation. This means that there are usually only a few steps or connections necessary between any two people in the society for them to be linked to each other.

Question 12

The ties between people within the same community are called:
A) group-bonding ties
B) community ties
C) community-bonding ties

Accepted Answer

The term "community-bonding ties" refers to the connections and relationships between individuals within the same community. These ties can be based on common interests, shared beliefs, or simply geographic proximity. They serve to create a sense of belonging and often involve the sharing of resources and support. Therefore, option C is the best choice.

Question 13

Network structures can be ordered on a scale from left ('ordered') to right ('randomness '). A 'cavemen world' would be:
A) on the far left side of the scale ('ordered')
B) somewhere in the middle (between order and randomness)
C) on the far right side of the scale ('random')

Accepted Answer

A 'cavemen world' is a term used to describe a network structure in which individuals only connect with those geographically close to them, resembling a small, tight-knit community. This network structure is highly ordered and does not have the randomness that would place it in the middle or on the right side of the scale. Therefore, option A is the best choice.

Question 14

Fill in the blanks: (A) ties more often create bridges to other communities than do (B) ties
A) (A) is 'strong', (B) is 'weak'
B) (A) is 'weak', (B) 'strong'
C) (A) is 'directed', (B) is 'undirected'

Accepted Answer

Weak ties are more likely to link members of different social groups than strong ties, which tend to exist within a close-knit social group. This concept is based on the strength of weak ties theory by Mark Granovetter, which suggests that weak ties are valuable for spreading information and creating bridges between diverse social circles.

Question 15

The idea that social networks have some sort of 'value' is called:
A) social network paradigm
B) social capital paradigm
C) social value paradigm

Accepted Answer

The idea that social networks have some sort of 'value' is called social capital paradigm. Social capital refers to the resources, both tangible and intangible, that individuals and groups obtain through interaction within social networks. This concept recognizes the value of social connections and networks for personal and social benefits, such as finding a job, gaining social support, and access to information and resources.

Quiz 7: Networks

What is meant by the 'friendship paradox'?

Fill in the blanks: In social network studies, individuals in the network are called (A) , and they are connected to each other via (B) .

A dyad is…

Person A is nominated by person B and C as a friend. Person A nominated D as a friend. What is true?

Fill in the blank: The distinction between strong and weak is based on ______, frequency of interaction, and reciprocity between two actors

The core network constists of:

Dunbar's number indicates the maximum number of active contacts the human brain can mantain. This number is:

The idea that the distribution of personal network size follows a power law means that:

What is "network density"?

Transitivity means that..

The 'small world phenomenon' indicates that in large-scale contemporary societies…

The ties between people within the same community are called:

Network structures can be ordered on a scale from left ('ordered') to right ('randomness ') . A 'cavemen world' would be:

Fill in the blanks: (A) ties more often create bridges to other communities than do (B) ties

The idea that social networks have some sort of 'value' is called: