Moderators and Mediators

Class 9
 Class
ClassBusiness
Business

Class Business

1. Quiz 1: Returned end of class

2. Midterm: Rescheduled to Oct. 22.

 Breaking News:
Mud Improves Memory!!!
FLASH! Explorers in the Amazon have discovered
an amazing “memory mud”. When smeared on the
forehead it vastly improves short term memory.
However, it appears that “mem-mud” works only for
certain kinds of people in certain places at certain
times. The mud appears to have its powerful effects
because ……[SIGNAL LOST]. 
 
What questions arise? Who does it work for?
Under what conditions?
Moderators At what times?

Mediators Why does it work?

 Moderators, Mediators, and Mem-mud
Moderator: What are the conditions under which Mem-
mud works, and for whom does it work?
Mediator: Why does Mem-mud work

Moderator: The limiting conditions that determine an

effect or an outcome (e.g., when, with what, or for
whom).

Mediator: The underlying cause; Why something occurs.

 MODERATOR DEFINED
 
A moderator is a variable that affects 8 Low Temp Mod Temp High Temp
7
the direction or strength of the 6
relationship between a predictor (IV) 5
and an outcome (DV). 4
3

A  B, if C is a moderator model.
2
1

A = Predictor = Mud 0
No Mud Mem Mud
B = Outcome = Memory
 
C = Moderator = Temperature
Changes in the moderator will affect the relation between IV and DV.  
Moderators directly explain how and when events occur (but can
 
also indirectly indicate why they occur).
Moderator can be:
* qualitative variable (race, sex, etc.)
* quantitative variable (perceived risk, mood, temperature)
 MODERATOR DEFINED, Cont.

Moderator is always an Independent Variable 10 Great LTM Mod LTM Weak LTM

  8
6

Moderators sought when there is weak or 4

inconsistent relationship between IV and DV. 2

0

  No Mud Mud

Moderator confirmed only if interaction between STM = Short Term

moderator and main IV is significant Memory
F [mud * Temp] = 8.54, p < .05. LTM = Long Term Memory

Moderator should be un-correlated to DV

 Problem when Moderator Correlates to DV

10 Alcoholic
Non Alcoholic
8 Non Drinker
6
4
2
0
Distant Liquor Store Close Liquor Store

Amount of drinking and being an alcoholic are highly correlated

r = .70, p < .001. Why is this a problem?
Is the entire story simply about proximity to liquor store?
Moderation: Correlation Between IV and DV is
High in One Condition But Not in Another.

 
Uncontrollable Controllable
Bad Event Bad Event
(World Economy Fails) (Made Bad Investment)
 
   
Major Event Major Event
and illness
and illness
 
r = .56 *  
  r = .12
   

These two results say what about bad events and illness?
Major life events  increased illness, IF event is uncontrollable.
Moderator is? CONTROLLABILITY
 Perceived Distance to Scary Object
How close is the object?
Low Self- High Self-
Worth Worth
Scary Object Close Not Close
Neutral Object Not Close Not Close

Dependent Variable? Perceived Distance

Primary Independent Object Type
Variable? (scary / neutral)
Moderator? Self-Worth (high / low)

NOTE: Moderator is ALWAYS IV.

Identifications of Primary IV and Moderator are arbitrary
 MODERATOR MODEL
Predictor (IV)

Moderator (IV) Outcome Variable (DV)

Predictor X Moderator
P X M Interaction
Must be significant

Object scariness(IV)

Self-worth (IV) Distance Perception (DV)

Scariness X Self-worth
p < .05
 Positive Feedback Bias With and Without
Content/Mechanics as Moderator
Feedback Feedback
Positivity Positivity
4
4
3.5 Content
3.5 Mechanics
3
3
2.5
2.5
2
2
1.5
1.5
1 1

0.5 0.5

0 0
Black Writer White Writer Black Writer White Writer

Shows how moderation can be explored when there

is weak relation between IV and DV
 Moderator “Recipes”

a. IV is qualitative (dichotomous, polychotomous,

Mod. is qualitatitve (dichotomous, polychotomous)

b. IV is qualitative, Mod. is quantitative

c. IV is quantitative, Mod. is qualitative

d. IV is quantitative, Mod. is quantitative

Social Contact, Disclosure, and Ratings of Baby Cries
6

5
Rating of Baby Distress
4
No Disclosure
3
Disclosure
2
1

0
Positive Neutral Negative
Contact Contact Contact

Primary IV? Social Contact Moderator Disclosure

DV? Distress Rating

Recipe? IV is Qualitative, and Moderator is Qualitative

 Height Perception as Function of Social Contact
Adapted from Schnall, Harber, Stefanucci, & Proffitt, 2008
Results amplified for purposes of illustration
43
41
Degrees hill slant

39 “How long have you known Person?”

37
Short Duration
35
Mod. Duration
33
Long. Duration
31
29
27
25
Friend Neutral
Contact

Primary IV? Social Contact Moderator Duration

DV? Hill slant
Recipe? IV is Qualitative, and Moderator is Quantitative
 Endorsement of Directive Support as a Function of
Depression and Gender
3

2.5
Endorses Directivei

2
Men
1.5
Women
1

0.5

Low Depression High Depression

Primary IV? Depression Moderator Gender

DV? Endorsement of Directive Support
Recipe? IV is Quantitative, and Moderator is Qualitative
 Self Esteem and the Use of Affect as Information
(Harber, 2005)
 

Mild upset = 1 SD < mean, Moderate upset = mean, Extreme upset = 1 SD > mean.

High Esteem
5.8
Med. Esteem
Low Esteem
Baby Cry Ratings

5.4

4.6
Mild Upset Mod. Upset Extreme Upset

Participants' Level of Upset

Primary IV? Upset Moderator Esteem

DV? Baby Cry Ratings
Recipe? IV is Quantitative and Moderator is Quantitative
Moderators Indirectly Indicate Underlying Causes

Children are aggressive mainly when:

a. Teachers do not pay attention to them
b. Their parents are rarely at home
c. They have few friends
Underlying cause? Lack of belonging, Isolation

People show low empathy when:

a. They have many deadlines
b. They have mounting bills
c. They have many work demands
Underlying cause? Stress
 MEDIATION
 
1. History: S  R explanations do not address full range
of psychological phenomena. In many cases, SOR
makes more sense.
 
What we see.
2. Function: Mediational analyses designed to test for
SOR causal paths.
 
3. Mediation Defined: “The effects of stimuli on behavior
are mediated by various transformations internal to the
organism.” What rat sees.
 
4. Utility: Mediators directly explain why events occur
(but can also provide clues to how and when they occur).
 
5. Character: Mediators are latent variables, or latent
constructs.
 Mediational Model
Mediator

a b

IV DV
c
When Mediation is present:
r (a) is significant
r (b) is significant
r ( c ), which was significant before the mediator was
considered, is either not significant or is much
weaker after accounting for mediator (i.e.,
subtracting mediator effect from a  c effect).

NOTE: r = correlation coefficient

 Attributes of Mediators 

1. IV predicts DV Mediator

2. Changes in IV account for

changes in mediator
 
3. Changes in mediator account for
changes in DV. IV DV
 
4. When links between IV to Immuno-
Mediator, and between Mediator to compromise
DV are established, the link between
IV and DV becomes non-significant,
or becomes significantly decreased

Latent variable:
Lower T Cell, Lower Stress Illness
immunoglobulin, higher cortisol.
 Mediational Model and Feedback Studies
Self-Image Concerns

a b

Race of Recipient c Positive Bias

IV? Race of recipient

DV? Positive bias
Mediator? Self-image concerns

"a" is significant. Mediation shown? No. "b" must also be sig, AND...

What shows mediation here? When "a" and "b" considered, "c"
no longer significant.
 Why Do People Need Self Esteem?
Converging Evidence that Self Esteem Provides an
Anxiety-Buffering Function
 

Greenberg, et al., 2000

  
It was hypothesized that raising self-esteem would reduce
anxiety in response to vivid images of death. In support of
this hypothesis, subjects viewed either a neutral movie or a
disturbing movie, and had their self-worth boosted or
unchanged. As predicted, scary movies led to greater
anxiety but not among boosted self-worth subjects.

X
____Moderator ____Mediator
 Greenberg, et al. 2000

Scary Images
+

Self Esteem 0 Anxiety

+++
Scary Images X Self Esteem
 Anxiety as a Function of
Threat Salience and Level of Self Esteem
 
Greenberg, et al., 2000

60 Neutral Esteem
50 Positive Esteem
40
Anxiety

30
20

10

0
Neutral Video Death Video
 Visceral Perception and
Nonconscious Fear Conditioning
 
Katkin, Wiens, & Öhman, 2001
 
Previous research shows that people conditioned to fear
certain kinds of stimuli such as snakes or spiders are
subsequently better able to detect hidden images of these
stimuli compared to people who are not conditioned. The
current research predicts that this heightened sensitivity is
restricted to people who are good at detecting their own
heartbeats (good heartbeat monitors). This prediction was
confirmed; when good heartbeat monitors are excluded from
analysis the effect of fear conditioning on stimuli sensitivity
disappears. [ABSTRACT MODIFIED ]

____Moderator X
____Mediator
 Katkin, Wiens, & Öhman, 2001

Heartbeat Monitors

a b

c Stimuli Sensitivity
Conditioned Fear
 Mediators Indirectly Suggest Moderation
(Limiting Conditions)
Isolation leads to conformity because of need to belong.
How is conformity affected by:
Age?
Transfer student or long-term resident?
Experienced ostracism?

Frustration leads to hostility because of elevated heart rate.

How is hostility affected by:
Amount of coffee consumed?
Daily stress?
Beta blockers?
Having a “high reactivity” personality?
 Ultimate Mediation?
The Epistemological Challenge of Science 
 
Multiple underlying causes:
 
Disclosure --> Emotional resolution --> less stress --> immune boost --> health
 
Race of recipient --> egalitarian concerns --> self-image concerns --> bias
 
 
Ultimate underlying causes:
 
Disclosure ---> coping (Pennebaker, 1989)
Disclosure --> [????] --> coping
Disclosure --> self-affirmation --> coping (Cresswell, et al., 2007)
Disclosure --> self-affirmation --> [????] --> coping
 
Path Analyses and Causal Models
 Attend. in 21st Century program  improved performance
by minority students.
 21st Century program based on theory of stereotype-
threat. When threat is high, minority students do less well.
21st Century is expected to reduce Stereotype threat,
leading to improved grades.
 Stereotype threat is itself a problem because it causes
minority students to dis-identify with academics.

What is the causal model? What would be strong and weak

correlational links in this model?
First Semester Grades as Predicted by Stereotype Threat,
Identification with School, and Participation in 21st Century Program

Stereo. Threat ID with School

Grades 21st Cent. Prog.

Task: What are IVs, DVs?

What are moderators (if any)?
What mediators (if any)?
Put these in correct path
Estimate relations between variables, outcome
21st Century Program, Stereotype Threat,
and Identification with School