Abstract:

The suppression effect refers to the fact that the third variable suppresses the relation between an independent variable (X) and a dependent variable (Y) when the null hypothesis is true. In psychological studies, researchers often encounter the common dilemma of research where there is no relationship between X and Y. The suppression effect provides an alternative route to deal with this issue and mainly answers why there is no significant relationship between the variables. This paper systematically introduces the rationale, difference from the mediation effect, analysis logic, and sample of the suppression effect. Finally, we summarize and discuss some related issues of the suppression effect as well as its application and significance, which helps researchers to solve the possible problem in future research.

Key words: suppression effect, mediation effect, null hypothesis, research dilemmas