CASOS Working PAPER

"Analyzing Life Course Patterns with the Interval Graph Approach"(PDF file)
Authors: Joy E. Pixley & Carter T. Butts

Abstract
This paper illustrates the interval graph approach to studying the life course. Under this framework, life histories are represented as networks of relations among spells (e.g., jobs, marriages, children, schooling). The focus is thus on the intersection of roles across time. We introduce two potentially important uses of this approach: to provide parsimonious summary measures of multi-domain life histories; and to enable comparisons of individuals' overall role overlap patterns over the life course. Applications of these methods are demonstrated using retrospective life history data from a sample of 1,532 men and women in Upstate New York. Implications of methodological variations are discussed and some potential uses of the methods for life course researchers are suggested.