We first consider results for gende

We first consider results for gender as the moderator variable. Coefficient estimates in Table 1 show that gender moderated the path from feedback to satisfaction (aXZ5 0.14, p .01), the path from feedback to commitment(bXZ20 0.13, p .01), but not the path from satisfaction to commitment (bMZ20 0.01, p .05). Equation 25 was applied to coefficients in Table 1 to compute simple effects,as reported in Table 2 and portrayed in Figures 2A and 2B.For men, Z 0, and the first stage, second stage, and direct effect reduce to aX5, bM20, and bX20, respectively, which equal 0.81, 0.31, and 0.28. The indirect effect for men equals the product of the first and second stages, or 0.81 0.31 0.25, and the total effect equals the sum of the direct and indirect effects, or 0.28 0.25 0.53. For women,Z 1, such that the first stage of the indirect effect becomes aX5 aXZ50.81 0.14 0.67, the second stage becomes bM20bMZ20 0.31 0.01 .030, and the direct effect becomes bX20bXZ20 0.28 0.13 0.15. As for men,the indirect effect for women equals the product of the first and second stages, or 0.67 0.30 0.20, and the total effect is the sum of the direct and indirect effects, or 0.15 0.20 0.35. Comparing these effects for men and women shows that the first stage of the indirect effect was stronger for men (0.81 0.67 0.14, p .01), whereas the second stage did not differ for men and women (0.31 0.30 0.01, p .05). When multiplied, the first and second stages did not produce a significant difference in the indirect effect for men and women (0.25 0.20 0.05, p .05).However, the direct effect was stronger for men than for women (0.28 0.15 0.13, p .01) and, when combined with the indirect effect, produced a larger total effect for men (0.53 0.35 0.18, p .01).Differences in these effects are depicted as simple slopes in Figures 3A through 3E. As seen by comparing Figures 3A and 3C, the moderating effect of gender on the first stage was not sufficient to produce a meaningful difference in slopes for the indirect effect because of the absence of a moderating effect of gender on the second stage indicated by Figure 3B. Comparing Figures 3C and 3D further shows that the difference in slopes for the direct effect was the primary reason for the difference in slopes for the total effect in Figure 3E. Thus, gender moderated the direct effect of feedback on commitment and the first stage of the indirect effect of feedback on commitment mediated by satisfaction, and these differences were sufficient to produce a larger total effect for men.