Sociological Methodology 

About: Sociological Methodology is an academic journal published by SAGE Publishing. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Categorical variable. It has an ISSN identifier of 0081-1750. Over the lifetime, 641 publications have been published receiving 78827 citations.

Asymptotic Confidence Intervals for Indirect Effects in Structural Equation Models

Abstract: For comments on an earlier draft of this chapter and for detailed advice I am indebted to Robert M. Hauser, Halliman H. Winsborough, and Toni Richards, several anonymous reviewers, and the editor of this volume. I also wish to thank John Raisian, Nancy Rytina, and Barbara Mann for their comments and Mark Wilson for able research assistance. The opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the author.

Bayesian Model Selection in Social Research

Abstract: It is argued that P-values and the tests based upon them give unsatisfactory results, especially in large samples. It is shown that, in regression, when there are many candidate independent variables, standard variable selection procedures can give very misleading results. Also, by selecting a single model, they ignore model uncertainty and so underestimate the uncertainty about quantities of interest. The Bayesian approach to hypothesis testing, model selection, and accounting for model uncertainty is presented. Implementing this is straightforward through the use of the simple and accurate BIC approximation, and it can be done using the output from standard software. Specific results are presented for most of the types of model commonly used in sociology. It is shown that this approach overcomes the difficulties with P-values and standard model selection procedures based on them. It also allows easy comparison of nonnested models, and permits the quantification of the evidence for a null hypothesis of interest, such as a convergence theory or a hypothesis about societal norms.

Discrete-Time Methods for the Analysis of Event Histories

Abstract: The history of an individual or group can always be characterized as a sequence of events People finish school, enter the labor force, marry, give birth, get promoted, change employers, retire, and ultimately die Formal organizations merge, adopt innovations, and go bankrupt Nations experience wars, revolutions, and peaceful changes of government It is surely the business of sociology to explain and predict the occurrence of such events Why is it, for example, that some individuals try marijuana while others do not? Why do some people marry early while others marry late? Do educational

Sampling and Estimation in Hidden Populations Using Respondent-Driven Sampling

Abstract: Standard statistical methods often provide no way to make accurate estimates about the characteristics of hidden populations such as injection drug users, the homeless, and artists. In this paper, we further develop a sampling and estimation technique called respondent-driven sampling, which allows researchers to make asymptotically unbiased estimates about these hidden populations. The sample is selected with a snowball-type design that can be done more cheaply, quickly, and easily than other methods currently in use. Further, we can show that under certain specified (and quite general) conditions, our estimates for the percentage of the population with a specific trait are asymptotically unbiased. We further show that these estimates are asymptotically unbiased no matter how the seeds are selected. We conclude with a comparison of respondent-driven samples of jazz musicians in New York and San Francisco, with corresponding institutional samples of jazz musicians from these cities. The results show that ...