Suppose you are examining the relationship between support for gun control laws and religious fundamentalism. You believe that region might be an important antecedent variable. You have the following (hypothetical) results (in percentages) for a national sample. Interpret the effects of the antecedent variable. (The results are in the following table.)

Attitudes Toward Gun Control Laws By Degree of Religious
Fundamentalism By Region
(Hypothetical Results)

Region

Low Fundamentalism

Medium Fundamentalism

High Fundamentalism

Northeast

For

67%

65%

66%

Against

33%

35%

34%

Midwest

For

67%

65%

66%

Against

33%

35%

34%

South

For

75%

60%

40%

Against

25%

40%

60%

West

For

25%

40%

60%

Against

75%

60%

40%

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: The antecedent variable, region, does substantially affect the relationship between support for gun control and religious fundamentalism. This is indicated by the fact that there are three different patterns between support for gun control and religious fundamentalism depending upon the region. First, the Northeast and the Midwest share the same pattern: no relationship between support for gun control and religious fundamentalism. Second, in the South, there is a strong, negative relationship between support for gun control and religious fundamentalism (those who are more religiously fundamentalist are less supportive of gun control). Third, in the West, there is a strong, positive relationship between support for gun control and religious fundamentalism (those who are more religiously fundamentalist are more supportive of gun control). Thus, region has a substantial impact on the relationship between support for gun control and religious fundamentalism.