Reaction to “Comments on ‘The Effects of Leader-Member Exchange and Differential Treatment on Work Unit Commitment’: Distinguishing between Neutralizing and Moderating Effects”

Abstract

Ye and Barbuto in 2004 made a number of interesting observations about use in 2002 by Van Breukelen, Konst, and Van der Vlist of the term ‘neutralizer’. They advised caution when employing the term ‘neutralizer’, preferring instead the designation ‘moderator’. Their comments underscore the importance of discussion on the nature of interaction effects in studies of leadership. Here we clarify our procedures in more detail and present the results of further analyses of our data.