Methodological Challenges of Complex Latent Mediator and Moderator Models

A New Special Issue from Behavior Research Methods (BRM)

Guest Editors
Peter Schmidt (University of Giessen, Germany)
Yannick Diehl (University of Marburg, Germany)
Julien Patrick Irmer (Goethe University, Germany)
Karin Schermelleh-Engel (Goethe University, Germany)

BRM Editor-in-Chief
Marc Brysbaert (Ghent University, Belgium)


Special Issue
Applied research in the social sciences goes far beyond the analysis of linear relationships. In recent years, mediation and moderation analyses are gaining popularity as a way to model complex relationships in the data. Due to their popularity, these research methods are developing rapidly. Consequently, users can easily lose track of the newest developments, improvements, or recommendations. Purely theoretical articles take a long time for new methodological developments to be noticed and used by applied researchers. Therefore, applied researchers need more guidance about new methodological developments and their applicability. In two recent articles (Cortina et al. 2021; Cheung et al. 2021) the authors have stated, that in nearly all applications employing latent variables, researchers use structural equation models for testing the additive parts of their models but go back to regression models when interaction or nonlinearity is involved, hence, ignoring the measurement structure of the data. In addition, many substantive applications with latent variables contain only simple moderations between two latent variables. Typically, the number of product terms is limited to one or two, and the investigated nonlinear effects are often limited to moderator effects of exogenous latent variables on endogenous latent variables, thereby ignoring possible mediator and moderated mediator effects between endogenous and exogenous variables. Finally, a systematic comparison of the different approaches in terms of bias, efficiency, complexity of handling, and run time as guidelines for applied researchers is missing.

In this call for papers for a special issue in BRM, we invite contributions that highlight methodological problems of mediation and moderation models with latent variables when applied to substantive topics and offer and discuss possible solutions to these specific problems. Furthermore, we invite contributors who aim to report on new methodological developments, and to compare different approaches regarding their performance, the complexity of codes, and run time using Monte Carlo studies. Specific contributions could include studies on multiple nonlinear effects, small sample sizes, categorical data, and model misspecification, and to stimulate and facilitate the transfer of the most suited methods for these problems into practice. All contributions should document the computer codes (i.e., in R) for reproducibility and applicability of research and to facilitate the use of these methods.

How to submit
This special issue will use a two-stage submission process. In the first stage, contributors are asked to submit an abstract of their proposed papers. Contributions of selected abstracts will be invited to submit a full paper. All of which will undergo a blind peer review process.

Stage 1: Structured Abstracts
Authors interested in this special issue must submit a structured abstract of the planned manuscript (max. 2 pages) before submitting a full paper. The goal is to provide authors with prompt feedback regarding the suitability and relevance of the planned manuscript to the special issue. The deadline for submitting structured abstracts was March 31, 2023. Please send your abstract via email to: schermelleh-engel@psych.uni-frankfurt.de Feedback on whether or not the editors encourage authors to submit a full paper will be given by April 30th, 2023.

Stage 2: Full Papers
For those who have been encouraged to submit a full paper, the deadline for submission of manuscripts is August 31, 2023.

The full papers must be submitted through the online submission system of the journal, see: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/brmic.

Full manuscripts will undergo a blind peer-review process.

Submission Guidelines for Full Papers

• Only English-language submissions can be considered

• Contributions must be original (not published previously or currently under review for publication elsewhere)

• Although there is no explicit word limit, the papers should be of reasonable length and not excessively large

• A distinction should be made between the main message and the technical details, the latter being published in a supplementary file (e.g., on osf or github) with a link to it in the manuscript.

• Data should also be made available (e.g., on osf or github) with a link to it in the manuscript.

• Publications must follow APA 7 style

• Publications must follow the submission guideline of Behavior Research Methods (see below)

Please follow the detailed submission guidelines of the Behavior Research Methods journal at: https://www.springer.com/journal/13428/submission-guidelines

Timeline

• March 31st, 2023: Structured abstract submission due

• April 30th, 2023: Feedback to contributors

• August 31st, 2023: Full paper submission due

Submission Guidelines
All submissions will undergo a normal, full peer review, maintaining the same high editorial standards for regular submissions to Behavior Research Methods. We invite those interested in a possible submission to contact the guest editors.

Questions?
Contact Karin Schermelleh-Engel at schermelleh-engel@psych.uni-frankfurt.de.

About BRM
Behavior Research Methods (BRM) publishes articles concerned with the methods, techniques, and instrumentation of research, especially in experimental psychology, but not limited to experiments. The journal focuses particularly on the use of computer technology in psychological research. This special issue is supposed to cover important topics that have the potential for advancing our understanding of methodological problems concerned with moderator and mediator models. Behavior Research Methods is a publication of the Psychonomic Society.

Behavior Research Methods is committed to upholding principles of integrity in scientific publishing and practice. As a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the journal will follow COPE guidelines concerning procedures for handling potential acts of professional misconduct.