Understanding interactions and mechanisms using Moderation and Mediation Analysis
In this webinar, Jarlath Quinn shows how to perform Moderation and Mediation analysis in SPSS using the downloadable PROCESS macro developed by Andrew F. Hayes PhD. The usefulness of these modelling approaches is such that they have become increasingly popular in the last 20 years. In particular, they allow analysts to go beyond simply establishing if a relationship exists, to a deeper understanding of for whom or whenthis occurs and how the underlying the mechanism works.
Moderation analysis enables researchers to identify interaction effects that alter the linear relationship between a dependent and independent variable. For example, the relationship between employment tenure and salary might be different for men and women. In such situations, employee gender could be specified as a moderator variable, and researchers could test to see if it did indeed change the relationship.
In the second part of the webinar, Jarlath looks at Mediation analysis. This is an approach used to test if a third variable could act as an underlying driver of a relationship between an independent and dependent variable. For example, the relationship between wealth and educational success might be explained by the amount spent on private tuition. In this example, educational expenditure could act as a mediator variable, and researchers could test to see if it did indeed reveal a key mechanism that underpinned the relationship.
This webinar is suitable for those who have attended the previous linear regression webinars or for those who are already have a good understanding of regression methods.
