Course Synopsis
This workshop will focus on both theoretical foundations of network psychometrics and modeling techniques developed from this perspective. It will provide the programming background and skills necessary to carry out independent data analyses, as well as the central concepts in the estimation of psychometric network models. The workshop will consist of plenary lectures (2h), followed by seminar-style computer practicals (1.5h).
Learning Outcomes
After completing this workshop, attendees will be able to:
- Understand the theoretical foundations behind network psychometrics
- Carry out basic programming in R: create a matrix, load and inspect data, computer a variance-covariance matrix, visualize and analyze networks using the qgraph package for R
- Explain the differences between social network analysis and network psychometrics
- Compute network metrics common in the field
- Draw an implied Markov Random Field (MRF) given a certain causal structure
- Be familiar with Gaussian Graphical Models (GGMs), Ising models, and Mixed Graphical Models
- Interpret MRFs in different ways (causal, predictive)
- Estimate unconstrained MRFs from cross-sectional data
- Understand the differences between pruning, model selection, and regularization
- Estimate MRFs using different estimation algorithms and understand which algorithm should be preferred for which setting
- Apply permutation tests to check differences between two groups
- Apply bootstrapping to assess the stability of network model parameters
Dates and Time
- Day 1: Monday, 7 Dec 2026
- Day 2: Tuesday, 8 Dec 2026
- Day 3: Wednesday, 9 Dec 2026
Classes will be conducted from 9 am to 5 pm.
Venue
Classes will be conducted face-to-face in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS.
About The Trainer
Dr Adela Isvoranu
Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore
Education
Ph.D. (University of Amsterdam, NL; cum laude)
M.Sc. (University of Amsterdam, NL; cum merit)
B.Sc. (Hons.) (University of Leeds, UK)
Dr. Isvoranu is an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore, Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on pathways from mental health to mental illness and fuzzy boundaries between psychopathological conditions. Dr. Isvoranu’s PhD work, which she completed cum laude at the University of Amsterdam, argues for complexity-based conceptualizations of psychopathology, focusing on symptoms and their interactions, rather than on syndromes. Dr. Isvoranu works in a multidisciplinary environment, often collaborating with clinical psychologists, practitioners, and methodologists, ultimately aiming to facilitate the development of novel intervention approaches to improve mental health. She is the main author of the textbook “Network Psychometrics with R: A Guide for Behavioral and Social Scientists”.
Research Interests
- Network models/analysis
- Psychopathology
- Modeling of mental health
- Developmental pathways from mental health to mental illness
Recent/Representative Publications
- Isvoranu, A. M., Epskamp, S., Waldorp, L. J., & Borsboom, D. (Eds.). (2022). Network Psychometrics with R: A Guide for Behavioral and Social Scientists. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
- Isvoranu, A. M., van Borkulo, C. D., Boyette, L. L., Wigman, J. T. W., Vinkers, C. H., Borsboom, D., GROUP Investigators. (2017). A Network Approach to Psychosis: Pathways Between Childhood Trauma and Psychotic Symptoms. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 43(1), 187–196.
- Isvoranu, A. M., & Epskamp, S. (2021). Which Estimation Method to Choose in Network Psychometrics? Deriving Guidelines for Applied Researchers. Psychological Methods.
