Bayesian Mediation Analysis

In this article, we propose Bayesian analysis of mediation effects. Compared with conventional frequentist mediation analysis, the Bayesian approach has several advantages. First, it allows researchers to incorporate prior information into the mediation analysis, thus potentially improving the effic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological methods 2009-12, Vol.14 (4), p.301-322
Main Authors: Yuan, Ying, MacKinnon, David P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bayes Theorem
Bayesian analysis
Bayesian Statistics
Biological and medical sciences
Causal Models
Confidence Intervals
Correlation
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Inference
Mediation
Models, Psychological
Probability
Psychology - methods
Psychology - statistics & numerical data
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychometrics. Statistics. Methodology
Simulation
Statistical Analysis
Statistical Estimation
Statistical Probability
Statistics. Mathematics
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Description
Summary:In this article, we propose Bayesian analysis of mediation effects. Compared with conventional frequentist mediation analysis, the Bayesian approach has several advantages. First, it allows researchers to incorporate prior information into the mediation analysis, thus potentially improving the efficiency of estimates. Second, under the Bayesian mediation analysis, inference is straightforward and exact, which makes it appealing for studies with small samples. Third, the Bayesian approach is conceptually simpler for multilevel mediation analysis. Simulation studies and analysis of 2 data sets are used to illustrate the proposed methods.
ISSN:1082-989X
1939-1463
DOI:10.1037/a0016972