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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Autism Res. 2017 Dec 18;11(3):450–462. doi: 10.1002/aur.1909

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Results of moderated mediation using a structural equation path analysis. The analysis examined the microstructural properties of the thalamus, PLIC, and ALIC as potential mediators of the relation between age and finger-tapping speed. Diagnostic group was examined as a potential moderator. Unstandardized regression coefficients (standard errors) are reported. The model fit indices were good: Comparative Fit Index > .95; Root mean square error of approximation < 0.001. The indirect effects indicated that the PLIC was a significant mediator between age and finger-tapping speed similarly in both the ASD and typically developing groups. Consistent with the effect sizes of the age-by-group interactions reported in the linear mixed-effects analyses, diagnostic group significantly moderated the effect of age on the PLIC and thalamus, but not the ALIC. Diagnostic group status also significantly moderated the direct effect between age and finger-tapping speed, consistent with previous reports of atypical age-related changes in finger-tapping speed in ASD (Travers et al., 2017). However, the indirect effects were similar in both groups, suggesting that group status was not a moderator of the indirect effects. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.