When moderation is mediated and mediation is moderated.

TLDR

Procedures for testing mediation and moderation are well established, yet the precise definitions and analytic methods for their combined forms—mediated moderation and moderated mediation—have not been fully clarified. This article defines mediated moderation and moderated mediation and offers analytic strategies for evaluating each.

Abstract

Procedures for examining whether treatment effects on an outcome are mediated and/or moderated have been well developed and are routinely applied. The mediation question focuses on the intervening mechanism that produces the treatment effect. The moderation question focuses on factors that affect the magnitude of the treatment effect. It is important to note that these two processes may be combined in informative ways, such that moderation is mediated or mediation is moderated. Although some prior literature has discussed these possibilities, their exact definitions and analytic procedures have not been completely articulated. The purpose of this article is to define precisely both mediated moderation and moderated mediation and provide analytic strategies for assessing each.