An Analysis of Intransitivity in Sociometric Data

Three methodological issues related to the measurement of intransitivity in social networks are analyzed. Indices of measurement are defined and criteria established for constructing a sociometric questionnaire to be used for obtaining data to test hypotheses about transitivity of sentiment. Empirical analysis is presented to support the proposed methodology, which is then used to examine a sample of 51 sociograms obtained from junior high school classes. The results reveal a very low incidence of intransitivity in friendship choices in every group. The intransitive triads which do exist are examined at different choice levels to determine if the intensity of the relationships affect the structure of the triad. The findings indicate that sentiment choices are less likely to be intransitive when the relationships are intense than when the bonds are weak. Patterns are detected in the kinds of intransitive triads which appear most frequently and variation is observed in the number of intransitive triads in which individual group members are involved.