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On Methods of Access to the Structure of Social Representations: the Example of Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Philippe Castel ,
Rachel Morlot  and
Marie-Françoise Lacassagne
Philippe Castel*
Affiliation:
Université de Bourgogne (France)
Rachel Morlot
Affiliation:
Université de Bourgogne (France)
Marie-Françoise Lacassagne
Affiliation:
Université de Bourgogne (France)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Philippe Castel. Laboratoire SocioPsychologie et Management du Sport (SPMS - EA 4180). Université de Bourgogne, Pôle AAFE, BP 26513, 21065 Dijon Cedex (France). Phone: +33(0)380393994. Fax: +33(0)380393995. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify the logic behind a range of statistical methods used to reveal the structure of social representations. Subjects (N = 317) were asked to answer the following question: “For each category of European person, please indicate which other European he would most like to have contact with”. The results of the similarity analysis lead us to the conclusion that there is an ethnocentric bias, and reveal the central factor of the representation. The representation obtained by factorial correspondence analysis seems closer to current reality and enables us to understand the divisions that have structured Europe and remained embedded in the subjects. Thus, the choice of analytical method is not merely anecdotal, given that representations obtained from the same data can vary immensely.

El objetivo de este estudio es identificar la lógica detrás de una serie de métodos estadísticos utilizados para revelar la estructura de las representaciones sociales. Se solicitó a un número de sujetos (n = 317) responder a la pregunta siguiente: “Para cada categoría de europeo, por favor indique con qué otros europeos le gustaría tener contacto”. Los resultados de los análisis de similitud nos llevan a la conclusión de que existe un sesgo etnocéntrico, y revelan el factor central de la representación. La representación obtenida por el análisis factorial de correspondencias se parece más a la realidad actual y nos permite entender las divisiones que han estructurado Europa y permanecen incorporadas en los sujetos. Por lo tanto, la elección del método analítico no es meramente anecdótica, puesto que las representaciones obtenidas a partir de los mismos datos pueden variar enormemente.

Keywords

social representationsEuropesimilarity analysisFactorial Correspondence Analysisrepresentaciones socialesEuropaanálisis de similitudAnálisis Factorial de Correspondencias
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , November 2012 , pp. 1222 - 1232
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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