Tools for assessment: Sociometry

and Sociogram
Tools for assessment
Assessment and clinical evaluation is essential to social work practice. It is needed to develop an
accurate understanding of clients and their needs, to identify problems, and to serve as a basis for
evaluating the effectiveness of helping interventions. Assessment consists of data collection,
followed by an appraisal of that data as a basis for developing a plan of action. In order to assist
with assessment of various social situations, standardized assessment tools, or instruments, have
been developed. These instruments, which are often in the form of tests, scales or questionnaires,
are widely used in many fields of the social sciences. The two tools for assessment explored here
are sociometry and sociogram.

Sociometry:
The term sociometry relates to its Latin etymology, socius meaning companion, and metrum
meaning measure. As these roots imply, sociometry is a way of measuring the degree of
relatedness among people. Measurement of relatedness can be useful not only in the assessment
of behavior within groups, but also for interventions to bring about positive change and for
determining the extent of change. It is Used a means for studying the choice, communication and
interaction patterns of individuals in a group. It is concerned with attractions and repulsions
between individuals in a group. In this method, a person is asked to choose one or more persons
according to specified criteria, in order to find out the person or persons with whom he will like
to associate.
Sociometry has two main branches: research sociometry, and applied sociometry. Research
sociometry is action research with groups exploring the socio-emotional networks of
relationships using specified criteria e.g. who in this group do you want to sit beside you at
work? Who in the group do you go to for advice on a work problem? Who in the group do you
see providing satisfying leadership in the pending project? Sometimes called network
explorations, research sociometry is concerned with relational patterns in small (individual and
small group) and larger populations, such as organizations and neighborhoods
Applied sociometrists utilize a range of methods to assist people and groups review, expand and
develop their existing psycho-social networks of relationships. Both fields of sociometry exist to

produce through their application, greater spontaneity and creativity of both individuals and
groups.
For group work, sociometry can be a powerful tool for reducing conflict and improving
communication because it allows the group to see itself objectively and to analyze its own
dynamics. It is also a powerful tool for assessing dynamics and development in groups devoted
to therapy or training. Choices are always made on some basis or criterion. The criterion may be
subjective, such as an intuitive feeling of liking or disliking a person on first impression. The
criterion may be more objective and conscious, such as knowing that a person does or does not
have certain skills needed for the group task.
The selection of the appropriate criterion makes or breaks the sociometric intervention. As in all
data-collection in the social sciences, the answers you get depend on the questions you ask. Any
question will elicit information but unless the right question is asked, the information may be
confusing or distracting or irrelevant to the interventions objective. A good criterion should
present a meaningful choice to the person in as simple a format as possible.

Principles of Criterion Selection

The criterion should be as simply stated and as straightforward as possible.

The respondents should have some actual experience in reference to the criterion,
whether ex post facto or present (in Morenos language, they are still warmed up to
them) otherwise the questions will not arouse any significant response.
The criterion should be specific rather than general or vague. Vaguely defined criteria
evoke vague responses.
When possible, the criterion should be actual rather than hypothetical.

Sociometric assessment techniques/Methods

There are a variety of what can be referred to as classic sociometric assessment techniques
including peer nomination, peer rankings, and sociometric rankings.

In the peer nomination technique, children in a social group or school classroom

anonymously identify social preferences for their classmates. For example, children may
be asked to provide a list of the three classmates with whom they would most like to play
and the three with whom they would least like to play.
Peer ratings are conducted by providing a list of childrens names in the social group or
classroom along with a rating for social acceptance items such as The most fun to play
with,.The least fun to play with, and Has the most friends. The rating methods that

are used may vary, typically ranging from three- to five-point Like-type responses (e.g.,
Agree, Neutral, Disagree).
sociometric rankings are completed by an adult, most often the classroom teacher who
has had the opportunity to observe the children in multiple social settings such as the
classroom, playground, and cafeteria. In this method, teachers rank the children on social
dimensions similar to those provided by peers..

Application:
In educational practice, sociometric assessment most often is used to determine eligibility for
special education and for intervention for adaptive behaviors or socio-emotional problems.
Children identified with special education needs, such as learning problems, mental retardation,
attention deficit disorders, and autism spectrum disorders, including Aspergers syndrome, may
benefit from assessment and intervention toward enhancing their social skills
In the general education population, children may benefit who are shy, rejected, or engage in
bullying or aggressive behaviors or who simply have limited social skills. Most of the classic
sociometric assessment methods are not used in educational practice, partly due to issues with
acceptability. Furthermore, although these methods have been found to be useful in research,
they may not be viewed as being useful in school settings because they do not lead to specific
classification for special education nor do they provide specific data that can directly assist in the
intervention process. Related sociometric assessment measures such as rating scales often are
used because these methods provide more specific information that can be linked to
classification and intervention.
Researchers have found that sociometric assessment can be useful in identifying childrens social
standing and predicting positive or negative social outcomes for children. The establishment of
friendships and positive social interactions are important for childrens social development and
for interacting in the social world, including the school setting

Validity and limitations of Sociometry

Each of these sociometric assessment methods has strengths and limitations. Researchers have
found that each method appears to be valid for identifying childrens social standing. Peer ratings
and adult rankings appear to provide the most reliable or stable measurements and, as such, may
be more useful than the peer nomination method. A major issue that arises with each of these
methods is the concept of social validity, which refers to the acceptance, usefulness, and
potential harm of an assessment procedure. The applications of sociometric assessment methods
have resulted in controversy and ethical concerns regarding their use. These concerns center on
the use of negative peer nominations and the possibility that children will compare responses
which may result in negative social and emotional consequences for children who are not
positively perceived by their peers. These concerns contributed to the decline in the acceptance

and use of sociometric assessment methods, particularly in school settings. However, researchers
have found no strong evidence that negative consequences occur for either the children who are
rating or those being rated; therefore, sociometric assessment continues to be used as a research
tool for understanding childrens social relationships
Jane Mouton, Robert Blake and Benjamin Fruchter reviewed the early applications of
sociometry and concluded that the number of sociometric choices do tend to predict such
performance criteria as productivity, combat effectiveness, training ability, and leadership. An
inverse relationship also holds: the number of sociometric choices received is negatively
correlated with undesirable aspects of behavior such as accident-proneness, and frequency of
disciplinary charges . The more frequently you are chosen, the less likely you are to exhibit the
undesirable behavior.
To quote Moreno: there is a deep discrepancy between the official and the secret behavior of
members. Moreno advocates that before any social program can be proposed, the sociometrist
has to take into account the actual constitution of the group. Sociometry is rarely used in the
classroom because it usually cannot be effectively reproduced by teachers in their classrooms.

Sociogram
Moreno introduced the idea of a sociogram. A systematic method for graphically representing
individuals as points/nodes and the relationships between them as lines/arcs. Moreno, who wrote
extensively of his thinking, applications and findings, also founded a journal entitled Sociometry.
It is a diagram representing the relationships between individuals.
When members of a group are asked to choose others in the group based on specific criteria,
everyone in the group can make choices and describe why the choices were made. From these
choices a description emerges of the networks inside the group. A drawing, like a map, of those
networks is called a sociogram. The data for the sociogram may also be displayed as a table or
matrix of each persons choices. Such a table is called a sociomatrix

Application:
A Sociogram is an important tool for teachers. The sociogram is the chart used to actually apply
sociometry in the classroom. It charts the interrelationships within a group. Its purpose is to
discover group structures and the relation of any one person to the group as a whole. Its value to
the teacher is in its potentiality for developing greater understanding of group behavior so that he
may operate more wisely in group management and curriculum. This shows the positive nature

of sociometry and the use of it is important for understanding the relationships within
classrooms. Once this relationship is understood by the teacher, group work can be better
facilitated for greater learning to occur.

Two variants:
the sociogram of the familial attachment group and the targeted sociogram
a social diagram of the relationships which a person has with his family,
this is known as the sociogram of the family attachment group. But the sociogram is also
intended for the collateral members of the family and the exterior social group. Both personal
and professional relationships are taken into account. They may involve principally the members
of the family (grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, grand children), friends and
neighbors, supervisors and work colleagues, school personnel or classmates. But it is also
possible to establish more general ties with various institutions such as the workplace, health
services, leisure time services, etc. We can also see that according to our needs, this strategy can
become more analytical, in which case it takes the form of a targeted sociogram.

Objectives:

To demonstrate the group dynamic surrounding the individual observed, whether it be

their immediate family, or others in their surroundings such as their belonging group,
their reference group, their functional group or their affinity group.
To reveal in a concrete and specific manner the type of relationship which a person has
with each family member and with the different groups to which they belong. This
enables us to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their support network, which is
very important for their care, or if we want to know what the relationship is between a
worker and his supervisor or work colleagues.
This strategy also enables us to show the nature of the childs social ties at school and at
play, which facilitates the comprehension of their psychological reactions and is a
measure of their capacity to establish relationships
Enables one to have a clearer image of the persons position and influence in his group
and to know where one needs to intervene in order to better their socialization

Interpretation

In this graphic representation, as in the genogram, the intensity of the ties is indicated by
a code of lines: a dotted line indicates a weak relationship, and as the dots get weaker, the
relationship is weaker.
If the dotted line is white, the relationship is almost non-existent. A single line shows a good
bond. A line with a slash represents a difficulty. A broken line or with two slashes signifies a

rupture, while a zigzag line reveals a conflict. An arrow indicates unilateral relationship, that a
reciprocal, in other words, the indicated person or group reject them. The arrow can also indicate
a particular responsibility or inversely, for example, the case of a daughter who takes care of her
mother. The subject observed is indicated by a double circle, a circle within a square or their
name is written in letters of a different color.
The dimensions depend on what one wants to show, for example, we might want to show
the openness of a family system to exterior human relationships i.e. friendships, the
enlarged family, leisure time activities or even the relationship of a single person to their
work environment. For e.g. a nurse with her work team or a student with a few of his
classmates. This visual tool complements the other two sociological tools: the genogram

Advantage
It enables us to visualize in a concrete manner the nature of the interactions between the family
members and to see where dysfunctions, bonds occur. As a tool it is also useful in pediatrics
when one wants to get a better understand what is going on in the environment of a sick child.
The most useful aspect of sociograms for evaluating collaborates is their ability to
show changes in networks and communication over time. Periodically diagramming
the functioning networks a collaborative has established or channels of
communication can show changes over time. It can also help identity weak linkages
or bottlenecks within a collaborative effort.

Conclusion
Thus, sociometry and sociograms are useful methods for understanding and assessing the degree
of relationships among individuals and the emotional ties between them.