title: Using Potential Outcomes to Understand Causal Mediation Analysis: Comment on.
abstract: In this commentary, we demonstrate how the potential outcomes framework can help understand the key identification assumptions underlying causal mediation analysis. We show that this framework can lead to the development of alternative research design and statistical analysis strategies applicable to the longitudinal data settings considered by Maxwell, Cole, and Mitchell (2011).
authors.affiliation: Department of Politics, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544. -258-6601, URL: http://imai.princeton.edu.
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Booil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Stuart