Unpacking structure-oriented cultural differences through a mediated moderation model: A tutorial with an empirical illustration

Abstract

Explaining cultural differences in the magnitude of psychological constructs and associations between psychological constructs is pivotal in cross-cultural psychology. Although unpacking level-oriented cultural differences has been well documented in the literature, discussion on methods to unpack structure-oriented cultural differences is limited. To tackle this problem, we propose an application of mediated moderation analysis. By estimating and comparing the “indirect (mediated) moderation effects of culture” through different mediated moderators, researchers can evaluate the explanatory power of an underlying mechanism relative to other mediated moderators. To facilitate the use of the mediated moderation model to unpack structure-oriented cultural differences, we discuss technical issues on how to specify a mediated moderation model, how to interpret the moderation effects of culture, and how large the sample size needs to be. An empirical illustration is also presented to demonstrate the application of the method with syntax for different software programs.