Personality Moderating Variables

A Warning about Statistical Artifact and a Comparison of Analytic Techniques

Bibliographic Data

ID19281925
AuthorsVictor Bissonnette (The University of Texas at Arlington, corresponding author), William Ickes (The University of Texas at Arlington), Ira H Bernstein (The University of Texas at Arlington), Ira Bernstein, Eric S Knowles (The University of Texas at Arlington), Eric Knowles
Year1990
Volume58
Issue3
Pages567-587
Publication date1990-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3506 • E-ISSN: 1467-6494
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-6494.1990.tb00243.x
OpenAlexW2072269752
LanguageEN
Citations received24
References cited18

Personality moderating variables act to qualify the relationship between a personality trait measure and a relevant behavioral criterion. Two data analytic techniques that can be used to test for significant moderating effects are the “median split” (MS) approach and the “moderated multiple regression” (MMR) approach. The goals of the present research were ( a ) to apply the MS approach to computer‐simulated data in which the moderator and trait extremity are confounded, to determine the extent of artifact, and ( b ) to compare the performance (Type I and Type II error rates) of the two approaches when applied to confounded and nonconfounded data. It was found that when the MS approach was applied to confounded data in which no real moderating effect existed, this approach produced an alarming rate of apparent, but spurious, moderating effects. When the MMR approach was applied to the same data, the rate of spurious effects was reduced to that expected by chance. When both approaches were applied to simulated data which contained genuine moderating effects, the MMR approach consistently resulted in more correct detections of these effects than the MS approach. We conclude that researchers should always employ the MMR rather than the MS approach when testing for personality moderator variable effects

Artifact (error) · Econometrics · Moderation · Personality · Spurious relationship · Statistics · Trait · Advanced Statistical Methods and Models · Advanced Statistical Modeling Techniques · Computer Science · Mathematics · Psychology · Psychometric Methodologies and Testing · Social Psychology

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