Chapter 24 Week 5 - Reading questions

Reference

Andrew F. Hayes (2009) Beyond Baron and Kenny: Statistical Mediation Analysis in the New Millennium, Communication Monographs, 76:4, 408-420.

Questions:

1. What is an indirect or mediated effect?
2. What is the difference between the total and direct effect?
3. What is the problem with the “Barron & Kenny steps?”
4. What is bootstrapping, and why is it superior to Sobel’s test?
5. Explain how it is possible that “effects that don’t exist can be mediated.”

Reference

Holbert, R. L. & Stephenson, M. T. (2003). The importance of indirect effects in media effects research: Testing for mediation in structural equation modeling. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47, 556-572.

Questions:

1. On p. 560 the four steps for complex mediation are discussed. The first three steps are for partial mediation. What is the difference between these two forms of mediation?
2. What is the advantage of the Product of Coefficient approach (p. 561-562) in comparison to the Causal Step approach (p. 560-561) and the Differences in Coefficients approach (p. 561) if you want to know whether or not an effect is mediated?
3. How does the Product of Coefficient approach work and why is it problematic?
4. How many effects are there from Debate Viewing on Political Participation? Which effects can you easily obtain from SEM software?