Theory and Analysis of Total, Direct, and Indirect Causal Effects

@article{Mayer2014TheoryAA,
  title={Theory and Analysis of Total, Direct, and Indirect Causal Effects},
  author={Axel Mayer and Felix Thoemmes and Norman Rose and Rolf Steyer and Stephen G. West},
  journal={Multivariate Behavioral Research},
  year={2014},
  volume={49},
  pages={425 - 442}
}
Mediation analysis, or more generally models with direct and indirect effects, are commonly used in the behavioral sciences. As we show in our illustrative example, traditional methods of mediation analysis that omit confounding variables can lead to systematically biased direct and indirect effects, even in the context of a randomized experiment. Therefore, several definitions of causal effects in mediation models have been presented in the literature (Baron & Kenny, 1986; Imai, Keele… 
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