Simple and parallel mediation using Process macro in RStudio
What is mediation analysis? According to Hayes (2022), ‘Mediation analysis is a statistical method used to evaluate evidence from studies designed to test hypotheses about how some causal antecedent variable X transmits its effect on a consequent variable Y’ (p. 80). The proposed mediator(s) [M(s), or intervening variable(s)] in a model reflects a researcher’s conceptualization of ‘how’ X and Y are related, with one or more mediators serving as potential process(es) by which X exerts its effect on Y. Specification of mediation models should made (and defended) on theoretical grounds , as potential alternatives have the possibility of fitting the data as well or better than one’s primary hypothesized model. Ultimately, mediation analysis allows one to test whether one’s theoretical model is a plausible explanation for the relationship between X and Y. If the model exhibits poor fit to the data, this may cause the researcher to ‘rule out’ that model as a plausible explanation. Finding