ERIC Number: EJ1136526
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Feb
Pages: 45
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0049-1241
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Spell Sequences, State Proximities, and Distance Metrics
Elzinga, Cees H.; Studer, Matthias
Sociological Methods & Research, v44 n1 p3-47 Feb 2015
Because optimal matching (OM) distance is not very sensitive to differences in the order of states, we introduce a subsequence-based distance measure that can be adapted to subsequence length, to subsequence duration, and to soft-matching of states. Using a simulation technique developed by Studer, we investigate the sensitivity, relative to OM, of several variants of this metric to variations in order, timing, and duration of states. The results show that the behavior of the metric is as intended. Furthermore, we use family formation data from the Swiss Household Panel to compare a few variants of the new metric to OM. The new metrics have been implemented in the freely available TraMineR-package.
Descriptors: Social Science Research, Research Methodology, Sequential Approach, Measurement Techniques, Simulation, Comparative Analysis, Surveys, Time, Family (Sociological Unit), Statistical Analysis, Foreign Countries
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Switzerland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A