Tests of the Three-Path Mediated Effect

In a three-path mediational model, two mediators intervene in a series between an independent and a dependent variable. Methods of testing for mediation in such a model are generalized from the more often used single-mediator model. Six such methods are introduced and compared in a Monte Carlo study...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organizational research methods 2008-04, Vol.11 (2), p.241-269
Main Authors: Taylor, Aaron B., MacKinnon, David P., Tein, Jenn-Yun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bootstrap method
Comparative analysis
Computer simulation
Confidence intervals
Dependent variables
Error analysis
Errors
Mathematical models
Mediation
Monte Carlo methods
Monte Carlo simulation
Studies
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Summary:In a three-path mediational model, two mediators intervene in a series between an independent and a dependent variable. Methods of testing for mediation in such a model are generalized from the more often used single-mediator model. Six such methods are introduced and compared in a Monte Carlo study in terms of their Type I error, power, and coverage. Based on its results, the joint significance test is preferred when only a hypothesis test is of interest. The percentile bootstrap and bias-corrected bootstrap are preferred when a confidence interval on the mediated effect is desired, with the latter having more power but also slightly inflated Type I error in some conditions.
ISSN:1094-4281
1552-7425
DOI:10.1177/1094428107300344