From Sequences to Variables : Rethinking the Relationship between Sequences and Outcomes
Abstract
Sequence analysis is increasingly used in the social sciences for the holistic analysis of life-course and other longitudinal data. The usual approach is to construct sequences, calculate dissimilarities, group similar sequences with cluster analysis, and use cluster membership as a dependent or independent variable in a regression model. This approach may be problematic, as cluster memberships are assumed to be fixed known characteristics of the subjects in subsequent analyses. Furthermore, it is often more reasonable to assume that individual sequences are mixtures of multiple ideal types rather than equal members of some group. Failing to account for uncertain and mixed memberships may lead to wrong conclusions about the nature of the studied relationships. In this article, the authors bring forward and discuss the problems of the “traditional” use of sequence analysis clusters as variables and compare four approaches for creating explanatory variables from sequence dissimilarities using different types of data. The authors conduct simulation and empirical studies, demonstrating the importance of considering how sequences and outcomes are related and the need to adjust analyses accordingly. In many typical social science applications, the traditional approach is prone to result in wrong conclusions, and similarity-based approaches such as representativeness should be preferred.
Main Authors
Format
Articles
Research article
Published
2024
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
SAGE Publications
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202306193972Use this for linking
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0081-1750
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/00811750231177026
Language
English
Published in
Sociological Methodology
Citation
- Helske, S., Helske, J., & Chihaya, G. K. (2024). From Sequences to Variables : Rethinking the Relationship between Sequences and Outcomes. Sociological Methodology, 54(1), 27-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/00811750231177026
Funder(s)
Research Council of Finland
Research Council of Finland
Funding program(s)
Research profiles, AoF
Academy Project, AoF
Profilointi, SA
Akatemiahanke, SA

Additional information about funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was funded by the Academy of Finland (decision numbers 331816, 331817, and 311877), the Academy of Finland Flagship Programme (decision number 320162), the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (decision number 2016-07105), and the Swedish Research Council (decision number 445-2013-7681). The project was financially supported by the funding organizations AKA, ANR, CAS, DFF, DFG, ESRC, FCT, IRC, NWO, RANNÍS, RCN, SNSF, and VR, involved in the NORFACE Joint Research Programme on Dynamics of Inequality Across the Life-Course, which is cofunded by the European Commission through Horizon 2020 under grant agreement 724363.
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