2003/04/01 by Marijtje A. J. van Duijn, Evelien P. H. Zeggelink, Evelien Zeggelink +3 · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Social Sciences · #Complex Network Analysis Techniques #Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence #Social Capital and Networks
paper · doi:10.1080/00222500305889
crossref issued 2003/04/01 · crossref published 2003/04/01 · crossref published-print 2003/04/01 · openalex publication_date 2003/04/01 · crossref created 2003/10/02 · crossref deposited 2016/12/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
In this paper we both describe and analyze the meeting process and the evolution of a friendship network among sociology freshmen in the Netherlands. We develop a theory that explains how changes in the network structure depend on one or more of four main effects: proximity, visible similarity, invisible similarity, and network opportunity. We formulate expectations with regard to what factors are important at what stages of the friendship development, making a distinction between 'meeting' and 'mating.' To some extent, the results confirm our expectations. The proximity and visible similarity variables determine change in network structure in the early stages, whereas network opportunity is important during all stages. Unfortunately, no significant effects of invisible similarity are found.