Assignment 1 and 2
Mediation
This week you are exposed to a slightly different approach to multiple regression. Up to this point we
have assumed that in the conception of our models, the independent variable either directly affects or
does not affect our dependent variable. However, the presence of an intervening variable—in which
the independent variable passes through to affect the dependent variable—is a real possibility in the
social world.
Such intervening variables are called mediators. As with moderation, this opens up a new set of
research questions that are able to test for mediation. Testing for mediation provides you the
extraordinary capability to move beyond straightforward models and test for direct effects, as well as
to determine if an indirect effect exists.
For example, in a simple linear regression model a professor might test for a relationship between
student anxiety of statistics and end of course knowledge attainment of statistical methods. Yet, a
student’s motivation to learn, and therefore to succeed, may also impact knowledge attainment.
Perhaps some level of anxiety might actually impact student motivation and therefore affect
knowledge attainment.
Finally, this week, you begin to plan for your Final Project, a comprehensive analysis you are
encouraged to conduct using your own data. This week’s Learning Resources contain two important
documents to further explain the Final Project, and you spend time in this week’s Collaboration Lab
beginning the ideation process.
• Apply statistical tests to calculate mediation in a dataset
• Analyze mediation in a dataset
• Critique research studies that apply mediation
• Apply statistical software to analyze data
Assignment 1: Mediation in SPSS
Earlier this week, you practiced testing for mediation and, ideally, used the Collaboration Lab to ask,
answer, and otherwise address any questions you had regarding mediation. In this Assignment, you
apply what you learned to answer a social research question using multiple regression, including
testing for possible mediation. Remember that you must still address all the assumptions for multiple
regression.
To prepare
• Review the datasets provided Below:
• Construct a research question based on one of those datasets.
Based on the research question you created, complete the following tasks:
1. Fit a multiple regression model, using two or more independent variables. Think about whether or
not the model will meet assumptions.
2. Fit the model, testing for mediation between two key variables.
3. Analyze the output, determining whether mediation was significant and how to interpret that
result.
4. Reflect on possible implications of social change
Write a 1 to 2paragraph analysis in APA format that includes your data output and addresses each
of the tasks listed above.
Assignment 2: Article Critique
The practice of quantitative research not only involves statistical calculations and formulas but also
involves the understanding of statistical techniques related to realworld applications. You might not
become a quantitative researcher nor use statistical methods in your profession but as a consumer,
citizen, and scholarpractitioner, it will be important for you to become a critical consumer of
research, which will empower you to read, interpret, and evaluate the strength of claims made in
scholarly material and daily news.
For this Assignment, you will critically evaluate a scholarly article related to mediation.
To prepare
• Review the Article Critique Assignment Guide in the Walden Library, listed in the Week 2 Learning
Resources.
• Search the Walden Library for a quantitative article that applies mediation testing.
Write a 2 page critique of the research you found in the Walden Library that includes responses to
the following prompts:
• Why did the authors use mediation in their multiple regression model?
• Do you think mediation is the most appropriate choice? Why or why not?
• Did the authors display the results in a figure or table?
• Does the results table stand alone? In other words, are you able to interpret the study from it? Why
or why not?
Reference
Laureate Education (Producer). (2017m). Introduction to mediation [Video file]. Baltimore, MD:
Author.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2017r). Mediation [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author
https://quantpsy.org/sobel/sobel.htm
Warner, R. M. (2013). Applied statistics: From bivariate through multivariate techniques (2nd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications
