SAMists

SAMists refers to adherents of Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models (SAOMs). These are statistical models used to analyze the evolution of social networks and the behavior of individuals within them over time. SAOMs are particularly useful for studying processes like network diffusion, where opinions, behaviors, or diseases spread through a population, and for understanding how individual choices influence the structure of the network itself.

The core idea behind SAOMs is to model the decision-making process of individual actors (hence "Stochastic Actor") as they make choices about their relationships or behaviors. These choices are influenced by various factors, including the current state of the network, the characteristics of the actors involved, and their personal preferences. The "Oriented" aspect highlights that the models focus on the directed nature of relationships, meaning the ties between individuals can be one-way or two-way.

Researchers employ SAOMs to investigate a wide range of social phenomena. Examples include the formation and dissolution of friendships, the spread of political opinions, the adoption of new technologies, and the patterns of cooperation or conflict in groups. The models simulate the network's evolution step-by-step, allowing researchers to identify the underlying mechanisms driving change and to make predictions about future network structures and behaviors. While the term "SAMist" is not a widely recognized or self-identified group, it describes individuals who utilize and contribute to the development of these sophisticated statistical modeling techniques in the social sciences.