[R] multiple values for a factor using nodematch in ergm()

[Ben Mazzotta]

Greetings, and many thanks for any insight you can offer.

I have a network object on which I'd like to simulate an ergm() using
{statnet}. Since the network object is large, I have not copied it here.

Each vertex has an attribute "language" which can take on integer values
greater than or equal to 1.

Is there a way to use the nodematch argument of ergm(), such that it
searches for any matches in the vertex attributes, rather than a 1-to-1
match?

For example, given

mat <- matrix(1, ncol=4, nrow=4)
net <- network(mat)


lang <- list("A", c("A","B"), "B", "C")
net %v% "languages" <- lang


The truth table for the matches should read
H   T   V (for head, tail, value)
1   2   1
1   3   1
1   4   0
2   3   1
2   4   0
3   4   0



This is the standard implementation of ergm(... , nodematch()), I believe.
model2 <- ergm(net ~ nodematch(languages))



In the course of writing this post, I discovered that the net %v%
"languages" command above coerces the list "lang" to a vector.


I also have a dataset that specifies exhaustively whether dyads share a
language or not; but I am not sure how to enter dyad information
directly into the ergm() function.

-- 
Ben Mazzotta
PhD Candidate
Fletcher School, Tufts University
160 Packard Ave, Medford MA 02155
benjamin.mazzotta at tufts.edu
+1.617.462.4486