Paper Number
ICIS2025-1458
Paper Type
Short
Abstract
Inverted-U relationships have been widely examined in recent IS research, while how to theorize the inverted-U relationships and uncover its underlying mechanisms still calls for more theoretical work. To fill this research gap, this study proposes a unified atomic-level analysis framework for the theorization of the inverted-U relationships by considering various mediating and moderating mechanisms. Specifically, the unified model identifies three key principles for theorization: (1) the mixed mediation principle supposes that there are two opposite mediating mechanisms to explain the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable; (2) the moderated mediation principle postulates that the moderator will weaken the positive mediation mechanism but strengthen the negative mediation mechanism; and (3) the mediated moderation principle states that the moderator will mediate the moderating effects of the independent variable. Finally, this study highlights the advantages of the unified model through approach comparison and proposes several empirical guidelines.
Recommended Citation
Sun, Yongqiang and Wang, Nan, "Theorizing Inverted-U Relationships through Moderated Mediation Mechanisms in Information Systems Research" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 5.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/is_researchmethods/is_researchmethods/5
Theorizing Inverted-U Relationships through Moderated Mediation Mechanisms in Information Systems Research
Inverted-U relationships have been widely examined in recent IS research, while how to theorize the inverted-U relationships and uncover its underlying mechanisms still calls for more theoretical work. To fill this research gap, this study proposes a unified atomic-level analysis framework for the theorization of the inverted-U relationships by considering various mediating and moderating mechanisms. Specifically, the unified model identifies three key principles for theorization: (1) the mixed mediation principle supposes that there are two opposite mediating mechanisms to explain the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable; (2) the moderated mediation principle postulates that the moderator will weaken the positive mediation mechanism but strengthen the negative mediation mechanism; and (3) the mediated moderation principle states that the moderator will mediate the moderating effects of the independent variable. Finally, this study highlights the advantages of the unified model through approach comparison and proposes several empirical guidelines.
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25-Research