PSYCH 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Extraversion And Introversion, Externalizing Disorders, Heritability
Document Summary
Mediating variable is anything that explains why two variables might be related. Extent to which someone was religious, predicted better treatment outcomes, but there was a 3rd variable - increases in social support (mediating variable) Religious outcomes increases social support better treatment outcomes. A mediating variable is usually continuous, has numerical value. Moderator tells you for which groups of people, might a relationship be stronger or weaker. Moderators are usually categorical - hair color, race. Same thing as interaction - gene environment interaction means relationship is moderated by/interacting with genotype. Ex. authoritarian parenting predicts increases in externalizing behavior. Split up sample and look at it by race - in black homes, authoritarian parenting had no relationship with externalizing behavior. If you had the risky gene and maltreatment, strong correlation - the gene moderated the influence of maltreatment on depression and vice versa. 3 effects on individual differences in traits:
