How people picture who knows whom in their village
Characterizing Individuals' Cognitive Maps of their Village Social Networks
This project looks at how people in rural Honduran villages of different ages picture relationships between community members and how those mental maps relate to social and mental wellbeing.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11285236 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked about who you know and who you think others know in your village. Researchers compare those answers with detailed maps of real face-to-face ties from a large, ongoing cohort and a focused subset of villages. The team uses interviews and questionnaires to capture each person's mental map and then analyzes differences by age, cognitive status, and social outcomes. Follow-up visits over several years show how these mental maps change and connect to wellbeing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are residents of the participating rural Honduran villages, including adolescents through older adults (about ages 12–93).
Not a fit: People who do not live in the study villages or who are seeking medical treatment will likely not receive direct health benefits from taking part.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help design community-based ways to strengthen social support and protect mental and cognitive health.
How similar studies have performed: Other large social-network studies have linked social ties to health, but collecting three-way 'perceiver' maps across many villages and age groups is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Christakis, Nicholas a — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Christakis, Nicholas a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.