Date:         Mon, 7 Oct 2002 18:30:31 -0600
Reply-To:     Susan Crawford <Susan.Crawford@calgaryhealthregion.ca>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Susan Crawford <Susan.Crawford@calgaryhealthregion.ca>
Organization: Calgary Health Region
Subject:      Re: Moderator variables
Comments: To: Ben Earnhart <bearnhar@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hi, Ben.

The first page on the "google" search clarifies things for us very well.  Thanks for your help.

Susan

Ben Earnhart wrote:

> I googled for you (
> http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=mediator+vs%2E+moderator+variable
> ) and came up with some pretty helpful stuff.  Basically, the way I
> understand it, if it's a moderator, then you use the interaction term, as
> one variable conditions the effect of the other; with a mediator, you do
> two models to see if the effect of x1 goes to zero when controlling for x2,
> or better yet, use a SEM.
>
> I'd think that the person would really want to clarify theoretically which
> approach to use a priori, before starting to model.
>
> At 05:45 PM 10/7/2002 -0600, Susan Crawford wrote:
> >Hi, everyone.
> >
> >One of our graduate students is trying to use a logistic regression
> >approach to determine whether or not parenting stress is a predictor of
> >attachment (secure or insecure) in children.  She thinks that social
> >support will act as a buffer or moderating variable that may decrease
> >the effects of parenting stress.
> >
> >I'm not sure of what approach we should take here.  Should we enter the
> >social support variable on the first step of the logistic regression,
> >followed by the three parenting stress scores on the second step? Or
> >should we be looking at interactions between the parenting stress scores
> >and social support?
> >
> >I'm getting confused on the issue of whether or not to consider social
> >support as a mediator variable or a moderator variable.
> >
> >Many thanks for your help.
> >
> >--
> >Susan Crawford, M.Sc.
> >Research Coordinator
> >Behavioural Research Unit
> >Alberta Children's Hospital
>
> *=======================================================
> *Ben Earnhart
> *Computer Consultant and ICPSR Data Assistant
> *Department of Sociology and College of Liberal Arts
> *University of Iowa
> *(319) 335-2887
> *bearnhar@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
> *=======================================================;

--
Susan Crawford, M.Sc.
Research Coordinator
Behavioural Research Unit
Alberta Children's Hospital