A tutorial on regularized partial correlation networks.

Abstract

Recent years have seen an emergence of network modeling applied to moods, attitudes, and problems in the realm of psychology. In this framework, psychological variables are understood to directly affect each other rather than being caused by an unobserved latent entity. In this tutorial, we introduce the reader to estimating the most popular network model for psychological data: the partial correlation network. We describe how regularization techniques can be used to efficiently estimate a parsimonious and interpretable network structure in psychological data. We show how to perform these analyses in R and demonstrate the method in an empirical example on posttraumatic stress disorder data. In addition, we discuss the effect of the hyperparameter that needs to be manually set by the researcher, how to handle non-normal data, how to determine the required sample size for a network analysis, and provide a checklist with potential solutions for problems that can arise when estimating regularized partial correlation networks. Translational Abstract Recent years have seen an emergence in the use of networks models in psychological research to explore relationships of variables such as emotions, symptoms, or personality items. Networks have become particularly popular in analyzing mental illnesses, as they facilitate the investigation of how individual symptoms affect one-another. This article introduces a particular type of network model: the partial correlation network, and describes how this model can be estimated using regularization techniques from statistical learning. With these techniques, a researcher can gain insight in predictive and potential causal relationships between the measured variables. The article provides a tutorial for applied researchers on how to estimate these models, how to determine the sample size needed for performing such an analysis, and how to investigate the stability of results. We also discuss a list of potential pitfalls when using this methodology.