Sociology · Level 1 · Foundation
Do online social media cut through the constraints that limit the size of offline social networks?
Dunbar RIM (2016). Royal Society Open Science. doi:10.1098/rsos.150292 · CC BY 4.0
Step 1 of 2Read the paper
Can social media let us keep far more friends than the roughly 150 people a face-to-face social life seems to allow? Using two large UK surveys of adults, the study compared how many Facebook friends people reported, and how many close friends they could turn to, with network sizes predicted by the "social brain" idea.
Read the paper below Free to read · the full paper is on this page
How to read it
- The last paragraph of the Introduction states exactly what claim is being tested.
- In Methods, compare who was in Sample 1 and who was in Sample 2.
- The first paragraph of Results gives the key means; compare them with the predicted value of 150.
- In the Discussion, look for what respondents were NOT asked; it limits the conclusions.
Step 2 of 2Take the test
5 questions · about 30 minutes including reading · pick an answer to see straight away if it’s right. Nothing is saved.
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Paper: Dunbar RIM, Royal Society Open Science (2016), licensed CC BY 4.0. Summary and questions are Research Nest’s own; read the original for the full study.