UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

A mediating variable, or mediator, accounts for the process by which an independent variable exerts its effect on a dependent variable. It stands in the causal chain between cause and outcome, translating the initial influence into the final effect. Identifying mediators helps researchers understand how and why a relationship occurs, not just whether it exists. Therefore, a variable that explains the mechanism of influence is correctly called a mediating variable.

Option A:
Control variables are held constant or statistically adjusted to prevent them from confounding the relationship between independent and dependent variables, but they do not represent the pathway of influence.

Option B:
Moderators change the strength or direction of the relationship but do not necessarily explain the mechanism through which the effect travels; they answer “when” or “for whom” rather than “how.”

Option C:
Mediating variables offer insight into intermediate steps, such as improved motivation mediating the effect of a teaching strategy on achievement. This explanatory role matches the stem and makes this option correct.

Option D:
Demographic variables describe characteristics like age or gender and may act as predictors, controls or moderators but do not inherently serve as mechanisms in a causal chain.