The ABC for Studying the Too-Much-of-a-Good-Thing Effect
提出一个ABC框架来解释“过犹不及”效应，即初始正向关系因变量过度而转为负向的非单调现象，帮助研究者选择线性或曲线模型，避免方法论陷阱。
The too-much-of-a-good-thing (TMGT) effect occurs when an initially positive relation between an antecedent and a desirable outcome variable turns negative when the underlying ordinarily beneficial antecedent is taken too far, such that the overall relation becomes nonmonotonic. The presence of the TMGT effect incites serious concerns about the validity of linearly specified empirical models. Recent research posited that the TMGT effect is omnipresent, due to an overarching meta-theoretical principle. Drawing on the competitive mediation approach, the authors of the present study suggest an antecedent-benefit-cost (ABC) framework that explains the TMGT effect as a frequent but not omnipresent issue in empirical research and integrates a variety of linear and nonlinear relationships. The ABC framework clarifies important conceptual and empirical issues surrounding the TMGT effect and facilitates the choice between linear and curvilinear models. To avoid serious methodological pitfalls, future studies with desirable outcome variables such as, for example, task performance, job performance, firm performance, satisfaction, team innovation, leadership effectiveness, or individual creativity should consider the ABC framework.