Theories of Communication Networks (Paperback)

by Peter R. Monge (Author), Noshir Contractor (Author) "Communication networks are the patterns of contact that are created by the flow of messages among communicators through time and space..." (more)
Key Phrases: cognitive knowledge networks, choice within blocks, epistatic links, Social Support Theories, United States, Kevin Bacon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
To date, most network research contains one or more of five major problems. First, it tends to be atheoretical, ignoring the various social theories that contain network implications. Second, it explores single levels of analysis rather than the multiple levels out of which most networks are comprised. Third, network analysis has employed very little the insights from contemporary complex systems analysis and computer simulations. Foruth, it typically uses descriptive rather than inferential statistics, thus robbing it of the ability to make claims about the larger universe of networks. Finally, almost all the research is static and cross-sectional rather than dynamic. Theories of Communication Networks presents solutions to all five problems. The authors develop a multitheoretical model that relates different social science theories with different network properties. This model is multilevel, providing a network decomposition that applies the various social theories to all network levels: individuals, dyads, triples, groups, and the entire network. The book then establishes a model from the perspective of complex adaptive systems and demonstrates how to use Blanche, an agent-based network computer simulation environment, to generate and test network theories and hypotheses. It presents recent developments in network statistical anlysis, the p* family, which provides a basis for valid multilevel statistical inferences regarding networks. Finally, it shows how to relate communication networks to other networks, thus providing the basis in conjunction with computer simulations to study the emergence of dynamic organizational networks.

About the Author
Peter R. Monge is at University of Southern California. Noshir Contractor is at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195160371
• ISBN-13: 978-0195160376
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #414,109 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read, May 28, 2003

By	Aby Rao (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign) - See all my reviews

I think is is a very good book and very effectively highlights the various socio-coginitve issues that are prevalent in communications. The theories could be applied to form new networks or to improve the strength of existing networks. The most prominent feature of the book is that it convincingly draws relationship between diffrent types of theories present in other disciplines ranging from Complexity theory to chaos theory. I wish the book had more illustrations and graphical examples. The format of the book is monotonous. But overall it certainly deserves 5 stars.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK IS THE GOLD STANDARD..., April 11, 2003

By A Customer

to which all other books written about network communications should be measured. Incredibly intelligent, thoroughly engagaging, this reader picked up this book out of curiosity, and was completely in awe of the complexity of networking. This book does a beautiful job of combining inferential statistics with dynamic theory. You will not want to put this down; this reader called in sick to work in order to finish the book. If you are going to own one book about networking, it should be this book. Seriously.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good literature overview, February 24, 2006

By	Aleksander Wawer (Warsaw, Poland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a good description of various approaches to the wide topic of social network-related theories (not social network theories as in SNA).

All chapters (except the last) are a reasonable, literature-rich investigations drawing on different theoretical perspectives of "communication networks". The last chapter is where the authors try to put everyting together, and in my opinion partially fail in doing so. Conclusion is correct and intuitive, yet somehow trivial: thinking about communication networks requires multilevel and multitheoretical approach.

On the pros side: rich literature review, many sources cited. The content is dense.