Definition for absdiffby ERGM Term

This function defines and initializes the absdiffby ERGM term that allows for representing homophily with respect to a non-binary attribute (e.g., age) differentially by a binary attribute (e.g., sex).

Usage

InitErgmTerm.absdiffby(nw, arglist, ...)

Arguments

nw

An object of class network.

arglist

A list of arguments as specified in the ergm.userterms package framework.

...

Additional data passed into the function as specified in the ergm.userterms package framework.

Details

This ERGM user term was written to allow for age-based homophily in partnership formation that is asymmetric by sex. The absdiff component targets age-based homophily while the by component allows that to be structured by a binary attribute such as "male", in order to enforce an offset in the average difference. This allows, for example, a average age difference in partnerships, but with males (on average) older than females.