A dynamic model of friendly association networks

We propose a dynamic model of the formation and maintenance of large friendly association networks (FANs), which incorporates a theoretically based actor model and is implemented via computer simulation. We apply the dynamic model to 18 FANs, some with over 900 members, documented by James Coleman. Structural measures for these networks show them to share some, but not all, structural characteristics of other large networks. With appropriate settings of its parameters, the dynamic model generates networks with structural measures that fit closely those of the Coleman networks, which suggests the model provides a plausible explanation for their structure. The parameter settings in turn have implications for characteristics of friendship processes and the individuals in the empirical networks.