 Allison Tracy ,
research scientist and staff methodologist for the Centers, will
participate in a symposium entitled “Feminism: Methodology and Methods”
as part of the Sixth International Conference on Social Science
Methodology. The conference, “Recent Developments and Applications in
Social Research Methodology” will be held at the University of
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, August 16-20. Tracy will present her ideas
regarding the use of latent variable mixture modeling, a newly
available analysis method that integrates the assumption of diversity
of experience with the power of large-sample statistical modeling,
yielding results that honor both typical and atypical experiences. With
this method, researchers can now scientifically identify qualitatively
diverse subpopulations representing distinctly different experiences
without anticipating those differences prior to analysis. By following
up these analyses, researchers can identify and study in greater depth
individuals whose experiences were not adequately captured. Tracy will
illustrate this new approach with a study that shows how physical
activity in adolescence influences patterns of sexual risk in different
ways for different girls. This methodological tool has direct
implications or the development of culturally sensitive interventions
and public policies.
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