Weihua An
Biographic Data
| ID | 3926009 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Weihua An |
| GIVEN NAMES | Weihua |
| FAMILY NAME | An |
| SIGNATURE | AN W |
| AFFILIATIONS | Emory University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0334-2930 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 98 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Social network exposures, political party affiliation, and perceived health risk
Estimating peer influence in multilayer networks
Exploring we-talk as a relational measure for transformation of motivation in family genetic risk communication
"Transformation of motivation" (TM) and communal coping are interrelated social psychological concepts. TM occurs when an individual's motivation to protect the self is expanded to include the well-being of important others. TM has largely been assessed by we-talk, that is, counts of the use of we pronouns during conversations about shared experiences. The extent to which we-talk adequately captures TM is underexplored. Family cancer genetic risk…
Comparing Egocentric and Sociocentric Centrality Measures in Directed Networks
Egocentric networks represent a popular research design for network research. However, to what extent and under what conditions egocentric network centrality can serve as reasonable substitutes for their sociocentric counterparts are important questions to study. The answers to these questions are uncertain simply because of the large variety of networks. Hence, this paper aims to provide exploratory answers to these questions by analyzing both e…
Race, State Surveillance, and Policy Spillover: Do Restrictive Immigration Policies Affect Citizen Earnings
This paper investigates whether restrictive immigration policy affects earnings among White, African-American, and Latinx US citizens. Incorporating sociological theories of race that point to state surveillance of Black and Latinx bodies as a linchpin of racial inequality, we ask: Do immigration policies that expand the reach of law enforcement spill over to lower or to raise earnings of employed US citizens? If so, are the effects of these poli…
Characterization of trajectories of physical activity and cigarette smoking from early adolescence to adulthood
There are three distinct subgroups of individuals sharing similar PA and cigarette smoking behavioral profile respectively from adolescence to adulthood in the Add Health study population. Behavioral interventions that focus on neighborhood environment (e.g. establish community-based activity center) and relationship to peers during adolescence (e.g. peer counseling) could be key to long-term PA promotion and cigarette smoking cessation
A Tale of Twin Dependence: A New Multivariate Regression Model and an FGLS Estimator for Analyzing Outcomes With Network Dependence
In this article, I present a new multivariate regression model for analyzing outcomes with network dependence. The model is capable to account for two types of outcome dependence including the mean dependence that allows the outcome to depend on selected features of a known dependence network and the error dependence that allows the outcome to be additionally correlated based on patterned connections in the dependence network (e.g., according to …
Methodological advances in quantitative social science: In celebration of the Social Science Research 50th anniversary
Opening the Blackbox of Treatment Interference: Tracing Treatment Diffusion through Network Analysis
Causal inference under treatment interference is a challenging but important problem. Past studies usually make strong assumptions on the structure of treatment interference in order to estimate causal treatment effects while accounting for the effect of treatment interference. In this article, we view treatment diffusion as a concrete form of treatment interference that is prevalent in social settings and also as an outcome of central interest. …
Causal Network Analysis
Fueled by recent advances in statistical modeling and the rapid growth of network data, social network analysis has become increasingly popular in sociology and related disciplines. However, a significant amount of work in the field has been descriptive and correlational, which prevents the findings from being more rigorously translated into practices and policies. This article provides a review of the popular models and methods for causal networ…
You said, they said: A framework on informant accuracy with application to studying self-reports and peer-reports
Friendship network formation in Chinese middle schools: Patterns of inequality and homophily
Fear Not Scarcity but Inequality, Not Poverty but Instability
This special issue, 'New Quantitative Approaches to Studying Social Inequality', aims to present some of the latest methodological innovations that arise from new analytical methods, innovative study designs, and novel and large-scale data that are particularly useful for studying social inequality. The articles included in the special issue not only showcase methodological innovations but also share the common theme that social inequalities are …
Treatment Effect Deviation as an Alternative to Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition for Studying Social Inequality
The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition (BOD) is a popular method for studying the contributions of explanatory factors to social inequality. The results have often been given causal interpretations. While recent work and this article both show that some types of BOD are equivalent to a counterfactual-based treatment effect/selection bias decomposition, this equivalence does not hold in general. Given this lack of general equivalence, in this article ba…
The Nearness between Us, and the Space within Ourselves
Social capital in the creation of cultural capital: Family structure, neighborhood cohesion, and extracurricular participation
Causal Inference with Networked Treatment Diffusion
Treatment interference (i.e., one unit’s potential outcomes depend on other units’ treatment) is prevalent in social settings. Ignoring treatment interference can lead to biased estimates of treatment effects and incorrect statistical inferences. Some recent studies have started to incorporate treatment interference into causal inference. But treatment interference is often assumed to follow a simple structure (e.g., treatment interference exists…
Causal Inference in Panel Data With Application to Estimating Race-of-Interviewer Effects in the General Social Survey
In this article, we review popular parametric models for analyzing panel data and introduce the latest advances in matching methods for panel data analysis. To the extent that the parametric models and the matching methods offer distinct advantages for drawing causal inference, we suggest using both to cross-validate the evidence. We demonstrate how to use these methods by examining race-of-interviewer effects (ROIE) in the 2006 to 2010 panel dat…
Context, network, and adolescent perceived risk
On the Directionality Test of Peer Effects in Social Networks
One interesting idea in social network analysis is the directionality test that utilizes the directions of social ties to help identify peer effects. The null hypothesis of the test is that if contextual factors are the only force that affects peer outcomes, the estimated peer effects should not differ, if the directions of social ties are reversed. In this article, I statistically formalize this test and investigate its properties under various …
Fitting ERGMs on big networks
Analysis of contested reports in exchange networks based on actors’ credibility
Neighborhood and Network Disadvantage among Urban Renters
Drawing on novel survey data, this study maps the distribution of neighborhood and network disadvantage in a population of Milwaukee renters and evaluates the relationship between each disadvantage and multiple social and health outcomes. We find that many families live in neighborhoods with above average disadvantage but are embedded in networks with below average disadvantage, and vice versa. Neighborhood (but not network) disadvantage is assoc…
Instrumental variables estimates of peer effects in social networks
The origins of asymmetric ties in friendship networks: From status differential to self-perceived centrality
Asymmetric ties make up a significant proportion of ties in friendship networks. But little is known about their origins. Prior research has suggested treating them either as “accidental” (e.g., resulting from constraints in name generators) or “aspirational” (i.e., the attempts of individuals to pursue relationships with higher status peers). In this paper, we show that self-perception can also explain the occurrence of asymmetric ties. We argue…
Causal Network Analysis
Fueled by recent advances in statistical modeling and the rapid growth of network data, social network analysis has become increasingly popular in sociology and related disciplines. However, a significant amount of work in the field has been descriptive and correlational, which prevents the findings from being more rigorously translated into practices and policies. This article provides a review of the popular models and methods for causal networ…
The origins of asymmetric ties in friendship networks: From status differential to self-perceived centrality
Asymmetric ties make up a significant proportion of ties in friendship networks. But little is known about their origins. Prior research has suggested treating them either as “accidental” (e.g., resulting from constraints in name generators) or “aspirational” (i.e., the attempts of individuals to pursue relationships with higher status peers). In this paper, we show that self-perception can also explain the occurrence of asymmetric ties. We argue…
Friendship network formation in Chinese middle schools: Patterns of inequality and homophily
Social capital in the creation of cultural capital: Family structure, neighborhood cohesion, and extracurricular participation
Neighborhood and Network Disadvantage among Urban Renters
Drawing on novel survey data, this study maps the distribution of neighborhood and network disadvantage in a population of Milwaukee renters and evaluates the relationship between each disadvantage and multiple social and health outcomes. We find that many families live in neighborhoods with above average disadvantage but are embedded in networks with below average disadvantage, and vice versa. Neighborhood (but not network) disadvantage is assoc…
Causal Inference with Networked Treatment Diffusion
Treatment interference (i.e., one unit’s potential outcomes depend on other units’ treatment) is prevalent in social settings. Ignoring treatment interference can lead to biased estimates of treatment effects and incorrect statistical inferences. Some recent studies have started to incorporate treatment interference into causal inference. But treatment interference is often assumed to follow a simple structure (e.g., treatment interference exists…
Fitting ERGMs on big networks
Causal Inference in Panel Data With Application to Estimating Race-of-Interviewer Effects in the General Social Survey
In this article, we review popular parametric models for analyzing panel data and introduce the latest advances in matching methods for panel data analysis. To the extent that the parametric models and the matching methods offer distinct advantages for drawing causal inference, we suggest using both to cross-validate the evidence. We demonstrate how to use these methods by examining race-of-interviewer effects (ROIE) in the 2006 to 2010 panel dat…
You said, they said: A framework on informant accuracy with application to studying self-reports and peer-reports
Bayesian Propensity Score Estimators: Incorporating Uncertainties in Propensity Scores into Causal Inference
Despite their popularity, conventional propensity score estimators (PSEs) do not take into account uncertainties in propensity scores. This paper develops Bayesian propensity score estimators (BPSEs) to model the joint likelihood of both propensity score and outcome in one step, which naturally incorporates such uncertainties into causal inference. Simulations show that PSEs using estimated propensity scores tend to overestimate variations in the…
Context, network, and adolescent perceived risk
Instrumental variables estimates of peer effects in social networks
Treatment Effect Deviation as an Alternative to Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition for Studying Social Inequality
The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition (BOD) is a popular method for studying the contributions of explanatory factors to social inequality. The results have often been given causal interpretations. While recent work and this article both show that some types of BOD are equivalent to a counterfactual-based treatment effect/selection bias decomposition, this equivalence does not hold in general. Given this lack of general equivalence, in this article ba…
On the Directionality Test of Peer Effects in Social Networks
One interesting idea in social network analysis is the directionality test that utilizes the directions of social ties to help identify peer effects. The null hypothesis of the test is that if contextual factors are the only force that affects peer outcomes, the estimated peer effects should not differ, if the directions of social ties are reversed. In this article, I statistically formalize this test and investigate its properties under various …
Comparing Egocentric and Sociocentric Centrality Measures in Directed Networks
Egocentric networks represent a popular research design for network research. However, to what extent and under what conditions egocentric network centrality can serve as reasonable substitutes for their sociocentric counterparts are important questions to study. The answers to these questions are uncertain simply because of the large variety of networks. Hence, this paper aims to provide exploratory answers to these questions by analyzing both e…
A Tale of Twin Dependence: A New Multivariate Regression Model and an FGLS Estimator for Analyzing Outcomes With Network Dependence
In this article, I present a new multivariate regression model for analyzing outcomes with network dependence. The model is capable to account for two types of outcome dependence including the mean dependence that allows the outcome to depend on selected features of a known dependence network and the error dependence that allows the outcome to be additionally correlated based on patterned connections in the dependence network (e.g., according to …
Opening the Blackbox of Treatment Interference: Tracing Treatment Diffusion through Network Analysis
Causal inference under treatment interference is a challenging but important problem. Past studies usually make strong assumptions on the structure of treatment interference in order to estimate causal treatment effects while accounting for the effect of treatment interference. In this article, we view treatment diffusion as a concrete form of treatment interference that is prevalent in social settings and also as an outcome of central interest. …
Fear Not Scarcity but Inequality, Not Poverty but Instability
This special issue, 'New Quantitative Approaches to Studying Social Inequality', aims to present some of the latest methodological innovations that arise from new analytical methods, innovative study designs, and novel and large-scale data that are particularly useful for studying social inequality. The articles included in the special issue not only showcase methodological innovations but also share the common theme that social inequalities are …
Bayesian Propensity Score Estimators: Incorporating Uncertainties in Propensity Scores into Causal Inference
Despite their popularity, conventional propensity score estimators (PSEs) do not take into account uncertainties in propensity scores. This paper develops Bayesian propensity score estimators (BPSEs) to model the joint likelihood of both propensity score and outcome in one step, which naturally incorporates such uncertainties into causal inference. Simulations show that PSEs using estimated propensity scores tend to overestimate variations in the…
Social Networks and Causal Inference
Analysis of contested reports in exchange networks based on actors’ credibility
Neighborhood and Network Disadvantage among Urban Renters
Drawing on novel survey data, this study maps the distribution of neighborhood and network disadvantage in a population of Milwaukee renters and evaluates the relationship between each disadvantage and multiple social and health outcomes. We find that many families live in neighborhoods with above average disadvantage but are embedded in networks with below average disadvantage, and vice versa. Neighborhood (but not network) disadvantage is assoc…
Instrumental variables estimates of peer effects in social networks
The origins of asymmetric ties in friendship networks: From status differential to self-perceived centrality
Asymmetric ties make up a significant proportion of ties in friendship networks. But little is known about their origins. Prior research has suggested treating them either as “accidental” (e.g., resulting from constraints in name generators) or “aspirational” (i.e., the attempts of individuals to pursue relationships with higher status peers). In this paper, we show that self-perception can also explain the occurrence of asymmetric ties. We argue…
On the Directionality Test of Peer Effects in Social Networks
One interesting idea in social network analysis is the directionality test that utilizes the directions of social ties to help identify peer effects. The null hypothesis of the test is that if contextual factors are the only force that affects peer outcomes, the estimated peer effects should not differ, if the directions of social ties are reversed. In this article, I statistically formalize this test and investigate its properties under various …
Fitting ERGMs on big networks
Causal Inference in Panel Data With Application to Estimating Race-of-Interviewer Effects in the General Social Survey
In this article, we review popular parametric models for analyzing panel data and introduce the latest advances in matching methods for panel data analysis. To the extent that the parametric models and the matching methods offer distinct advantages for drawing causal inference, we suggest using both to cross-validate the evidence. We demonstrate how to use these methods by examining race-of-interviewer effects (ROIE) in the 2006 to 2010 panel dat…
Context, network, and adolescent perceived risk
Causal Inference with Networked Treatment Diffusion
Treatment interference (i.e., one unit’s potential outcomes depend on other units’ treatment) is prevalent in social settings. Ignoring treatment interference can lead to biased estimates of treatment effects and incorrect statistical inferences. Some recent studies have started to incorporate treatment interference into causal inference. But treatment interference is often assumed to follow a simple structure (e.g., treatment interference exists…
Social capital in the creation of cultural capital: Family structure, neighborhood cohesion, and extracurricular participation
The Nearness between Us, and the Space within Ourselves
Fear Not Scarcity but Inequality, Not Poverty but Instability
This special issue, 'New Quantitative Approaches to Studying Social Inequality', aims to present some of the latest methodological innovations that arise from new analytical methods, innovative study designs, and novel and large-scale data that are particularly useful for studying social inequality. The articles included in the special issue not only showcase methodological innovations but also share the common theme that social inequalities are …
Treatment Effect Deviation as an Alternative to Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition for Studying Social Inequality
The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition (BOD) is a popular method for studying the contributions of explanatory factors to social inequality. The results have often been given causal interpretations. While recent work and this article both show that some types of BOD are equivalent to a counterfactual-based treatment effect/selection bias decomposition, this equivalence does not hold in general. Given this lack of general equivalence, in this article ba…
Opening the Blackbox of Treatment Interference: Tracing Treatment Diffusion through Network Analysis
Causal inference under treatment interference is a challenging but important problem. Past studies usually make strong assumptions on the structure of treatment interference in order to estimate causal treatment effects while accounting for the effect of treatment interference. In this article, we view treatment diffusion as a concrete form of treatment interference that is prevalent in social settings and also as an outcome of central interest. …
Causal Network Analysis
Fueled by recent advances in statistical modeling and the rapid growth of network data, social network analysis has become increasingly popular in sociology and related disciplines. However, a significant amount of work in the field has been descriptive and correlational, which prevents the findings from being more rigorously translated into practices and policies. This article provides a review of the popular models and methods for causal networ…
You said, they said: A framework on informant accuracy with application to studying self-reports and peer-reports
Friendship network formation in Chinese middle schools: Patterns of inequality and homophily
Race, State Surveillance, and Policy Spillover: Do Restrictive Immigration Policies Affect Citizen Earnings
This paper investigates whether restrictive immigration policy affects earnings among White, African-American, and Latinx US citizens. Incorporating sociological theories of race that point to state surveillance of Black and Latinx bodies as a linchpin of racial inequality, we ask: Do immigration policies that expand the reach of law enforcement spill over to lower or to raise earnings of employed US citizens? If so, are the effects of these poli…
Characterization of trajectories of physical activity and cigarette smoking from early adolescence to adulthood
There are three distinct subgroups of individuals sharing similar PA and cigarette smoking behavioral profile respectively from adolescence to adulthood in the Add Health study population. Behavioral interventions that focus on neighborhood environment (e.g. establish community-based activity center) and relationship to peers during adolescence (e.g. peer counseling) could be key to long-term PA promotion and cigarette smoking cessation
A Tale of Twin Dependence: A New Multivariate Regression Model and an FGLS Estimator for Analyzing Outcomes With Network Dependence
In this article, I present a new multivariate regression model for analyzing outcomes with network dependence. The model is capable to account for two types of outcome dependence including the mean dependence that allows the outcome to depend on selected features of a known dependence network and the error dependence that allows the outcome to be additionally correlated based on patterned connections in the dependence network (e.g., according to …
Methodological advances in quantitative social science: In celebration of the Social Science Research 50th anniversary
Comparing Egocentric and Sociocentric Centrality Measures in Directed Networks
Egocentric networks represent a popular research design for network research. However, to what extent and under what conditions egocentric network centrality can serve as reasonable substitutes for their sociocentric counterparts are important questions to study. The answers to these questions are uncertain simply because of the large variety of networks. Hence, this paper aims to provide exploratory answers to these questions by analyzing both e…
Exploring we-talk as a relational measure for transformation of motivation in family genetic risk communication
"Transformation of motivation" (TM) and communal coping are interrelated social psychological concepts. TM occurs when an individual's motivation to protect the self is expanded to include the well-being of important others. TM has largely been assessed by we-talk, that is, counts of the use of we pronouns during conversations about shared experiences. The extent to which we-talk adequately captures TM is underexplored. Family cancer genetic risk…
Psychology (18 works) · Computer Science (16 works) · Mathematics (16 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Econometrics (11 works) · Statistics (10 works) · Complex Network Analysis Techniques (9 works) · Social Capital and Networks (9 works) · Artificial Intelligence (8 works) · Causal inference (8 works)