Exploratory Mediation Analysis with Many Potential Mediators

Social and behavioral scientists are increasingly employing technologies such as fMRI, smartphones, and gene sequencing, which yield ‘high-dimensional’ datasets with more columns than rows. There is increasing interest, but little substantive theory, in the role the variables in these data play in known processes.

This necessitates exploratory mediation analysis, for which structural equation modeling is the benchmark method. However, this method cannot perform mediation analysis with more variables than observations. One option is to run a series of univariate mediation models, which incorrectly assumes independence of the mediators. Another option is regularization, but the available implementations may lead to high false-positive rates.

In this article, we develop a hybrid approach which uses components of both filter and regularization: the ‘Coordinate-wise Mediation Filter’. It performs filtering conditional on the other selected mediators. We show through simulation that it improves performance over existing methods. Finally, we provide an empirical example, showing how our method may be used for epigenetic research.     

Alternative Methods for Assessing Mediation in Multilevel Data: The Advantages of Multilevel SEM

Multilevel modeling (MLM) is a popular way of assessing mediation effects with clustered data. Two important limitations of this approach have been identified in prior research and a theoretical rationale has been provided for why multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) should be preferred. However, to date, no empirical evidence of MSEM's advantages relative to MLM approaches for multilevel mediation analysis has been provided. Nor has it been demonstrated that MSEM performs adequately for mediation analysis in an absolute sense. This study addresses these gaps and finds that the MSEM method outperforms 2 MLM-based techniques in 2-level models in terms of bias and confidence interval coverage while displaying adequate efficiency, convergence rates, and power under a variety of conditions. Simulation results support prior theoretical work regarding the advantages of MSEM over MLM for mediation in clustered data.     

Moderated Mediation Analysis Using Bayesian Methods

Conventionally, moderated mediation analysis is conducted through adding relevant interaction terms into a mediation model of interest. In this study, we illustrate how to conduct moderated mediation analysis by directly modeling the relation between the indirect effect components including a and b and the moderators, to permit easier specification and interpretation of moderated mediation. With this idea, we introduce a general moderated mediation model that can be used to model many different moderated mediation scenarios including the scenarios described in Preacher, Rucker, and Hayes (2007). Then we discuss how to estimate and test the conditional indirect effects and to test whether a mediation effect is moderated using Bayesian approaches. How to implement the estimation in both BUGS and Mplus is also discussed. Performance of Bayesian methods is evaluated and compared to that of frequentist methods including maximum likelihood (ML) with 1st-order and 2nd-order delta method standard errors and mL with bootstrap (percentile or bias-corrected confidence intervals) via a simulation study. The results show that Bayesian methods with diffuse (vague) priors implemented in both BUGS and Mplus yielded unbiased estimates, higher power than the ML methods with delta method standard errors, and the ML method with bootstrap percentile confidence intervals, and comparable power to the ML method with bootstrap bias-corrected confidence intervals. We also illustrate the application of these methods with the real data example used in Preacher et al. (2007). Advantages and limitations of applying Bayesian methods to moderated mediation analysis are also discussed.     

法律文化视野中的传统调解制度分析

调解作为一种解决纠纷的制度，是我国传统法律文化尤其是儒家法律文化的重要组成部分。传统调解制度依其调节者主持身份的不同，可以分为民间自行调解、宗族行会调解、乡治调解和州县官府调解四种形式。本文从作为方法论的法律文化视角对传统调解作了解读，认为在公法文化和反省性文化的双重夹击下．调解制度成了维护共有的道德价值的工具，调解的过程成了说教过程。因此．必须对传统调解制度进行创造性转化，摒弃调解者的家长式角色以厦泛道德化的成分，让调解者扮演促进当事人交流的角色．去帮助当事人而不是训诫当事人。     

完善我国行政调解制度之探究——兼谈行政调解与行政复议调解、仲裁调解及信访调解的关系

行政调解与行政复议调解、仲裁调解以及信访调解分属解决纠纷的不同救济途径,四者虽有所不同但更具有密切的内在联系。在我国,由于行政调解在法律制度层面固有的不足,致使在理论和实践中产生行政调解主体不明确、范围过窄、程序混乱以及法律效力较低等诸多问题。需探寻这些问题的成因,吸收行政复议调解的权威性及效率性、仲裁调解的合法自愿性及程序规范性、信访调解的主体多元性等优势来弥补我国现有行政调解的不足。     

Promotion of participation and mediation in multicultural classrooms

This essay presents the theoretical framework and main results of a research on intercultural mediation which has been performed in eight multicultural classrooms of Italian secondary schools. Intercultural mediation is conceived as a form of dialogic communication which should empower empathic and equal relationships between the participants by changing the existent negative patterns (dialogic mediation). The empirical features of mediation have been investigated in the interactions between mediators and adolescents in the selected classrooms. The analysis demonstrated that some dialogic actions were effective in empowering students’ personal expressions, promoting effective reflections and new narratives about their relationships, and management of their conflicts. Two limitations of dialogic mediation emerged from the analysis: (1) dialogic actions were always effective in demonstrating mediators’ involvement and coordination with students, but they were only occasionally effective in promoting dialogue among students; (2) promotion of active participation was more frequently successful than coordination of reflection and conflict management.     

和谐社会与我国的民事调解立法

诉讼调解与和谐社会的理念有着天然的契合关系，相对于严格的判决，调解结案更能促进社会的和谐稳定。立法上强化调解，并不必然削弱法律的权威，也不必然带来强制调解现象。我国民事调解立法应当明确地将调解作为诉讼结案的重要方式，强化法官的调解职能，调解程序的设计也要有利于当事人之间的彻底沟通，提高调解结案率，以更好地发挥调解的消弭纠纷功能。     

论人民调解员的职业化

人民调解员职业化的基本内涵是人民调解员应当具备一定的职业资质与技能,专门从事调解工作并从当地政府获得相应报酬。纠纷类型不断翻新、纠纷复杂化,对人民调解员职业化提出要求并提供了契机。人民调解员职业化是人民调解制度自身发展完善的内在要求,也是社会管理创新的重要内容。在确保人民调解员人民性的前提下,有条件的法律院校培养专业化的人民调解员,司法行政部门建立科学合理的人民调解员职称评审制度,并建立健全相应的财政保障制度是人民调解员职业化的可行路径.     

Empirical Sample Size Guidelines for Use of Latent Difference Score Mediation

Mediation models are commonly used to identify the mechanisms through which one variable influences another. Among longitudinal mediation methods, latent difference score mediation stands out due to its unique ability to capture nonlinear change over time. However, there is limited information regarding sample size demands to achieve adequate power with this method, resulting in few applications of latent difference score mediation. To address this limitation, the current study presents empirically supported sample size guidelines for 10 common latent difference score mediation structural models and 9 unique population models. The results of this study offer researchers with a set of representative sample estimates that may be used when designing studies or seeking funding.     

Code-switching: L1-coded mediation in a kindergarten foreign language classroom

This paper is based on a qualitative inquiry that investigated the role of teachers' mediation in three different modes of coding in a kindergarten foreign language classroom in China (i.e. L2-coded intralinguistic mediation, L1-coded cross-lingual mediation, and L2-and-L1-mixed mediation). Through an exploratory examination of the varying effects of the three kinds of mediation on activating children's noticing and prior knowledge in learning a designated language game, the study shows that the L2-and-L1-mixed mediation optimises not only the children's exposure to the target L2, but also capitalises on the efficiency and effectiveness of mediation. The study also calls attention to the dynamic, interactive and mutually reflexive relationships among the factors involved, that is, although L2-coded mediation is a preferred choice in the setting, its effects are dependent on the realisations of five factors: the activation of learners' noticing, that of prior knowledge, the teacher's proficiency in the L2, the delivery of mediation, and the engagement of learners' interest.     

朋辈调解:培养学生解决冲突的公民技能

朋辈调解是指通过培养学生调解员以帮助冲突当事人在学校环境中解决冲突,其核心原则是由处于矛盾冲突的当事人来共同找到解决问题的途径。朋辈调解的一般过程为建立调解框架、当事人依次讲故事、探索可能的解决策略、达成一致意见并签字。朋辈调解的实践建构首先要争取家长、校长、教师以及学生的支持;其次,需要在全校范围内培育积极肯定、沟通、合作的校园文化,并传播解决冲突技能的相关知识;再次,根据调解员的素质要求选定学生调解员并进行培训。为了保障朋辈调解的顺利开展,需要营造"倾听"文化、赋权学生以及练习解决冲突的技能。     

论民间调解员调解彝区纠纷的困境与进路

精通彝族传统规范的民间调解员活跃在彝区民众当中,致力于化解矛盾、规范人际交往规则。拟在民间调解员调解彝区纠纷的现状分析基础上,指出民间调解员调解彝区纠纷面临的困境,并就民间调解员调解彝区纠纷的进路提出一些建议。     

论英语教学中教师的中介作用

教师在帮助促进学生掌握学习能力方面起着重要的中介作用。本文介绍了中介作用的定义、特征,讨论教师中介作用的体现,表现为传递意图、教会方法、培养能力、接收反馈四个方面。     

Are Robust Standard Errors the Best Approach for Interval Estimation With Nonnormal Data in Structural Equation Modeling?

When the multivariate normality assumption is violated in structural equation modeling, a leading remedy involves estimation via normal theory maximum likelihood with robust corrections to standard errors. We propose that this approach might not be best for forming confidence intervals for quantities with sampling distributions that are slow to approach normality, or for functions of model parameters. We implement and study a robust analog to likelihood-based confidence intervals based on inverting the robust chi-square difference test of Satorra (2000). We compare robust standard errors and the robust likelihood-based approach versus resampling methods in confirmatory factor analysis (Studies 1 & 2) and mediation analysis models (Study 3) for both single parameters and functions of model parameters, and under a variety of nonnormal data generation conditions. The percentile bootstrap emerged as the method with the best calibrated coverage rates and should be preferred if resampling is possible, followed by the robust likelihood-based approach.     

Sensitivity Analysis of the No-Omitted Confounder Assumption in Latent Growth Curve Mediation Models

Latent growth curve mediation models are increasingly used to assess mechanisms of behavior change. For latent growth mediation model, like any another mediation model, even with random treatment assignment, a critical but untestable assumption for valid and unbiased estimates of the indirect effects is that there should be no omitted variable that confounds indirect effects. One way to address this untestable assumption is to conduct sensitivity analysis to assess whether the inference about an indirect effect would change under varying degrees of confounding bias. We developed a sensitivity analysis technique for a latent growth curve mediation model. We compute the biasing effect of confounding on point and confidence interval estimates of the indirect effects in a structural equation modeling framework. We illustrate sensitivity plots to visualize the effects of confounding on each indirect effect and present an empirical example to illustrate the application of the sensitivity analysis.     

关于我国司法调解制度的法律思考

司法调解制度有其深刻的经济、文化等社会基础和理论渊源。我国目前司法调解制度仍然存在着违反自愿、公平、公正、合法等基本原则的情况,今后我国应不断完善司法调解的调解程序、当事人的意思自治、调解监督、调解激励和救济制度,确保司法调解自愿、公平、公正、合法的实现。     

Early approach to theoretical thinking: gears in primary school

Gears are part of everyday experience from very early childhood. This paper analyses a teaching experiment conducted with 4th graders in the field of experience of gears. The aim is to identify the characteristics which, given a suitable sequence of tasks and proper teacher guidance, have enabled the pupils to approach theoretical thinking, and in particular mathematical theorems. We have focused on the relationships between the epistemological analysis of some pieces of mathematical knowledge brought into play in tasks concerning gears, cognitive analysis of pupil construction of those pieces of mathematical knowledge, and didactic analysis of the teacher's role in designing tasks and in offering cultural mediation. This paper presents the early findings of the teaching experiments, both at the external level of interpersonal classroom processes and at the inner level of individual mental processes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

试论社会建构主义理论下外语教师角色的定位

文章谈论了在社会建构主义理论下外语教师的角色不仅仅是起中介作用,在发挥学生学习的自主性的同时,教师教学也应该发挥其自主性,教师自主性和学生自主性是相互促进、相辅相成的.教师完成其中介作用的能力就来自于教师自主性,教师自主性是完成其中介作用的先决条件.教师自主性发展途径可通过对专业的反思、探究性实践和行动研究来完成.     

美国调解制度的启示与借鉴

在大洋彼岸的美国,享有“东方经验”美誉的调解制度受到了高度重视,其应用实践蓬勃发展,并形成了一套完整的运行体系,呈现出一片欣欣向荣的景象。而在我国,这一禀赋着“和合”文化和传统伦理价值的制度,在经历了兴盛、衰退、复苏这样U型发展过程后,进入了制度发展的瓶颈期。如何使这项独具魅力的纠纷化解制度在现代社会条件下充分发挥其功能和价值无疑成了我们今天必须加以认真思考的问题,面对美国调解制度的兴起与蓬勃发展．我们认为存在诸多合理内核值得我们借鉴,对于推动我国调解制度的改革与完善具有重要的参考价值.