Work

Is it Mediated, Moderated – Or Confounded?

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: : Educational researchers are commonly interested in examining and statistically modeling mediation and moderation effects in experiments to see why and for whom interventions work. However, even experimental study designs may overlook that mediator or moderator variables are commonly not randomized. This poses threats to the causal interpretability and potential to inform educational practice of many studies involving mediator or moderator variables. We outline these issues in an example with simulated data and summarize potential methodological solutions.

Source: Psychological Test Adaptation and Development

DOI: 10.1027/2698-1866/a000126

Authors: Thorsten Fahrbach, Nicolas Hübner, Peter Adriaan Edelsbrunner

Institutions: University of Bonn, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Causal Inference Techniques

Subfield: Statistics and Probability

Field: Mathematics

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W7160508927

FWCI:

Cites: 60

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