Baron and Kenny

Baron and Kenny are known for their work on understanding how and when one variable influences another through an intermediary, called a mediator. They developed a step-by-step approach to test whether a variable explains the relationship between two others. For example, if stress affects health, and work support affects stress, their method helps determine if work support impacts health *because* it reduces stress. Their approach involves specific statistical steps to establish these causal pathways, helping researchers understand how and why certain effects occur within complex systems.