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Review
. 2017 Nov 15:8:1984.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01984. eCollection 2017.

On the Interpretation and Use of Mediation: Multiple Perspectives on Mediation Analysis

Robert Agler  1   2 , Paul De Boeck  1   3
Affiliations
Review

On the Interpretation and Use of Mediation: Multiple Perspectives on Mediation Analysis

Robert Agler et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Mediation analysis has become a very popular approach in psychology, and it is one that is associated with multiple perspectives that are often at odds, often implicitly. Explicitly discussing these perspectives and their motivations, advantages, and disadvantages can help to provide clarity to conversations and research regarding the use and refinement of mediation models. We discuss five such pairs of perspectives on mediation analysis, their associated advantages and disadvantages, and their implications: with vs. without a mediation hypothesis, specific effects vs. a global model, directness vs. indirectness of causation, effect size vs. null hypothesis testing, and hypothesized vs. alternative explanations. Discussion of the perspectives is facilitated by a small simulation study. Some philosophical and linguistic considerations are briefly discussed, as well as some other perspectives we do not develop here.

Keywords: causation; direct effect; indirect effect; mediation; total effect.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of X and Y without considering mediation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of X on Y including mediation.
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