A Monte Carlo study compared 14 methods to test the statistical significance of the intervening variable effect. An intervening variable (mediator) transmits the effect of an independent variable to a dependent variable. The commonly used R. M. Baron and D. A. Kenny (1986) approach has low statistical power. Two methods based on the distribution of the product and 2 difference-in-coefficients methods have the most accurate Type I error rates and greatest statistical power except in 1 important case in which Type I error rates are too high. The best balance of Type I error and statistical power across all cases is the test of the joint significance of the two effects comprising the intervening variable effect.

/pdf/a-comparison-of-methods-to-test-mediation-and-other-21xho8v2xm.pdf

A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects.

The establishment of measurement invariance across groups is a logical prerequisite to conducting substantive cross-group comparisons (e.g., tests of group mean differences, invariance of structura...

A Review and Synthesis of the Measurement Invariance Literature: Suggestions, Practices, and Recommendations for Organizational Research

The measurement of meaning

Recording of presentation introducing narrative analysis, outlining what it is, why it can be a useful approach, how to do it and where to find out more. Presentation given at methods@manchester seminar at University of Manchester on 4 March 2010.

What is Narrative Analysis

Despite a long tradition of effectiveness in laboratory tests, normative messages have had mixed success in changing behavior in field contexts, with some studies showing boomerang effects. To test a theoretical account of this inconsistency, we conducted a field exper- iment in which normative messages were used to promote householdenergyconservation.Aspredicted,adescriptive normative message detailing average neighborhood usage produced either desirable energy savings or the undesir- able boomerang effect, depending on whether households were already consuming at a low or high rate. Also as predicted, adding an injunctive message (conveying social approval or disapproval) eliminated the boomerang effect. The results offer an explanation for the mixed success of persuasive appeals based on social norms and suggest how such appeals should be properly crafted.

/pdf/the-constructive-destructive-and-reconstructive-power-of-1gq9ws151u.pdf

The Constructive, Destructive, and Reconstructive Power of Social Norms

Individual drinking patterns and the perceived typical drinking patterns of close friends and reference groups were assessed in two different studies with college students. In both studies virtually all students reported that their friends drank more than they did. These effects were found across different levels of individual drinking, within different types of samples, across gender of subjects and with different types of questionnaire assessment. In addition, students' estimates of typical or average drinking within their own social living groups were significantly higher than average drinking within the group estimated from self-reports. Because of the consistent, asymmetrical pattern of reports of self and other drinking, it was interpreted that reports of others' drinking were exaggerated. These biases were particularly evident within organized social groups (i.e., fraternities and sororities) but were minimal in reference to "students in general" or "people in general." Results are discussed in terms of cognitive and motivational factors that potentially could promote or excuse excessive drinking practices among college students.

Biases in the perception of drinking norms among college students.

This paper presents a review and a model of the development of addictive behaviors in (human) adolescents, with a focus on alcohol. The model proposes that addictive behaviors develop as the result of an imbalance between two systems: an appetitive, approach-oriented system that becomes sensitized with repeated alcohol use and a regulatory executive system that is not fully developed and that is compromised by exposure to alcohol. Self-regulation critically depends on two factors: ability and motivation to regulate the appetitive response tendency. The motivational aspect is often still weak in heavy drinking adolescents, who typically do not recognize their drinking as problematic. Motivation to regulate use often develops only years later, after the individual has encountered serious alcohol-related problems. Unfortunately, at that point behavioral change becomes harder due to several neurocognitive adaptations that result from heavy drinking. As we document, there is preliminary support for the central elements of the model (appetitive motivation vs. self-regulation), but there is a paucity of research directly addressing these mechanisms in human adolescents. Further, we emphasize that adolescent alcohol use primarily takes place in a social context, and that therefore studies should not solely focus on intra-individual factors predicting substance use and misuse but also on interpersonal social factors. Finally, we discuss implications of the model for interventions.

http://www.impliciet.eu/adapt/publications/2006%20online%20Wiers%20et%20al%20PBB06.pdf

Automatic and controlled processes and the development of addictive behaviors in adolescents: a review and a model.

Research on implicit cognition and addiction has expanded greatly during the past decade. This research area provides new ways to understand why people engage in behaviors that they know are harmful or counterproductive in the long run. Implicit cognition takes a different view from traditional cognitive approaches to addiction by assuming that behavior is often not a result of a reflective decision that takes into account the pros and cons known by the individual. Instead of a cognitive algebra integrating many cognitions relevant to choice, implicit cognition assumes that the influential cognitions are the ones that are spontaneously activated during critical decision points. This selective review highlights many of the consistent findings supporting predictive effects of implicit cognition on substance use and abuse in adolescents and adults; reveals a recent integration with dual-process models; outlines the rapid evolution of different measurement tools; and introduces new routes for intervention.

https://www.impliciet.eu/adapt/publications/2010%20StacyWiersAnnuRevClinPsy.pdf

Implicit cognition and addiction: a tool for explaining paradoxical behavior.

Handbook of implicit cognition and addiction

This study examined whether indicators of drug-related memory associations predicted drug use prospectively. The predictive effects of outcome expectancies, sensation seeking, and other variables also were investigated. The results revealed that the memory association measures significantly predicted subsequent drug use. Outcome expectancies and sensation seeking predicted alcohol use, but not marijuana use. The findings suggest 2 possibly different aspects of cognition involved in drug use motivation: (a) a memory activation or implicit cognition component, representing the effects of memory associations that are prompted relatively spontaneously by the prevailing motivational and situational circumstances and (b) an outcome expectancy component, which is more likely to reflect explicit cognitions involved in introspection and deliberate decision-making processes.

https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/abn/106/1/61.pdf

Alan W. Stacy

Papers

Biases in the perception of drinking norms among college students.

Automatic and controlled processes and the development of addictive behaviors in adolescents: a review and a model.

Implicit cognition and addiction: a tool for explaining paradoxical behavior.

Handbook of implicit cognition and addiction

Memory Activation and Expectancy as Prospective Predictors of Alcohol and Marijuana Use