Stochastic actor-oriented models for the co-evolution of networks and individual outcomes

Stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOMs) originated as models to explain network evolution over time. They have been extended in several directions. This chapter focuses on the extension of SAOMs for analyzing the co-evolution of networks and individual outcomes, such as behaviours, attitudes, and activities. Over the past decade, these models have been widely applied in education to determine the relative contributions of selection and influence processes to explain peer effects and design effective policies. We illustrate the model by analyzing the co-evolution of friendship and academic performance. The chapter ends with a discussion of the strengths and limitations of the introduced models and a brief description of SAOMs’ extensions for analyzing multivariate and multilevel network data and their application in education.