In this equation, b0 represents the intercept, b1 represents the coefficient for the candidate gene variables, b2 represents the coefficient for the moderator variables, b3 is the coefficient for the 2-way interaction effects, and b4 is the coefficient for the three-way interaction effects. Notably, the candidate gene variables (i.e., 5-HT2a receptor and 5-HTT alleles and genotypes) were effect coded prior to analysis for genotype and the presence vs. absence of the “risk” allele (see Table 2 for a listing of the effect codes). Impulsivity, MEBS Binge Eating, and DEBQ Emotional Eating were standardized through z score transformations prior to analysis. (Note: dietary restraint factor scores were standardized prior to factor analysis). Two-way and 3-way interactions terms were computed by multiplying the independent variables to form interaction terms.
