Summary
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Abstract
This project asks the question "How do friendship groups change over time?" The results may support inferences about how "people skills" develop. What types of changes would you expect to see? Do you expect friendship groups to grow larger over time? Do you expect that individuals will belong to more, less or about the same number of friendship groups as they get older? Do you think there will be more or less exclusivity among groups (and how would you measure such a concept)? Do you expect results to be similar for boys and girls? The project requires a large group of students who have been in school together for several consecutive years. Design a survey to identify past and present friendship groups. Select one or more statistical tests for each of your hypotheses. Crunch the numbers and see if the data support or reject each hypothesis. This project involves fairly sophisticated statistical analysis. Finding a mentor with expertise in group detection statistics is highly recommended. (Doherty, 2003)Bibliography
Doherty, J., 2003. "Evolution of Friendship Groups in the Fourth through Seventh Grades," California State Science Fair Project Abstract [accessed February 1, 2006] http://cssf.usc.edu/History/2003/Projects/J1707.pdf.
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Any time there is more than one person in a room, there is potential for a social interaction to occur or for a group to form. Sociologists study these interactions—how and why groups and societies form, and how outside events like health issues, technology, and crime affect both the societies and the individuals. If you already like to think about how people interact as individuals and in groups, then you're thinking like a sociologist!
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Statisticians use the power of math and probability theory to answer questions that affect the lives of millions of people. They tell educators which teaching method works best, tell policy-makers what levels of pesticides are acceptable in fresh fruit, tell doctors which treatment works best, and tell builders which type of paint is the most durable. They are employed in virtually every type of industry imaginable, from engineering, manufacturing, and medicine to animal science, food…
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Cite This Page
General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.MLA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
"Evolution of Friendship Groups Over Time." Science Buddies,
28 July 2017,
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Soc_p021/sociology/evolution-of-friendship-groups-over-time.
Accessed 3 June 2023.
APA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
(2017, July 28).
Evolution of Friendship Groups Over Time.
Retrieved from
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Soc_p021/sociology/evolution-of-friendship-groups-over-time
Last edit date: 2017-07-28
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