2.4.4 Reliability and Validity Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

what is another word for reliability?

A

consistency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what does validity refer to?

A

legitimacy and accuracy of results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

a study lacking reliability will also lack….

A

validity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what does internal reliability refer to?

A

how consistently the method measures within itself

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

in controlled research what needs to be standardised?

A

instructions, procedures, apparatus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

in observations you can check for inter-rater reliability, what does this involve?

A

2 or more observers watching the same behaviour and comparing results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

in questionnaires you need to make sure questions are unambiguous what does this mean?

A

interpreted in the same way by everyone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what are scales such as the likert scale? (strongly agree to disagree)

A

subjective, dependant upon interpretations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

(internal reliability) when would final results be distorted, give an example:

A

when methods of measurement aren’t standardised

e.g. ruler consisting of variable centimetres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

internal reliability can be checked by the split half method, what is this?

A

correlating results of half the items with the other half (odd numbers with evens on test) and gaining a high positive correlation coefficient

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what does external reliability refer to? what should methods of measurement give?

A

how consistently a method measures over time when repeated

similar scores when repeated on same participants in similar conditions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

give an example of when external reliability would be lacking:

A

if a ruler measured an object at different lengths each time it was used

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

external reliability can be checked by the test re-test method, what is this?

A

correlating results of the test conducted on one occasion with results of the test conducted on later occasion and gaining a high positive correlation coefficient

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what does validity of a method of measurement refer to?

A

whether it measures what it is supposed to measure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what does internal validity refer to?

A

whether results were really due to the variables being measured

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what does external validity refer to?

A

whether results can be generalised if conducted in different environments with different participants

17
Q

what is another term for face validity?

A

content validity

18
Q

what does face/content validity involve?

A

examining the content of the test to see if it looks like it measures what it is supposed to measure

19
Q

in checking face validity what don’t you need?

A

a professional

20
Q

in checking content validity who do you ask?

A

a professional/expert

21
Q

e.g. in checking face/content validity of a intelligence test what are you looking for?

A

seeing if it actually measures intelligence or just general knowledge

22
Q

what does concurrent validity involve?

A

comparing a new method/test with already established one claiming to measure the same variables and gaining a high positive correlation between the results of the two

23
Q

what are 2 types of internal validity?

A

face/content validity

construct validity

24
Q

what are 3 types of external validity?

A

concurrent validity
predictive validity
ecological validity

25
Q

what is construct validity?

A

whether the test or method can be used to support the underlying theory concerning the variable supposed to be measured

26
Q

why is construct validity needed?

A

to ensure you are really testing your hypothesis

27
Q

construct validity - if theory suggests offspring of intelligent parents raised in a stimulating environment should be intelligent, what should be used to confirm it?

A

an IQ test

28
Q

what does predictive validity refer to?

A

whether the test will predict future performance indicated by its results

29
Q

what does ecological validity refer to?

A

whether the method measures behaviour that’s representative of naturally occurring behaviour

30
Q

ecological validity is also the extent to which findings can be?

A

generalised

31
Q

what needs to be considered if the findings are said to be generalizable?

A

if the environment is generalizable/natural

if the participants are representative of the target population

32
Q

testing for ecological validity involves checking the task for mundane realism, what does this mean?

A

if the task would be done in the real world

33
Q

what extraneous variables can affect the internal validity of a piece of research?

A
demand characteristics
social desirability
researcher bias
individual differences (independent measures)
order effects (repeated measures)
34
Q

what are demand characteristics, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

A

people change behaviour due to being observed
then measuring fake behaviour
single blind - not telling them the aim

35
Q

what is social desirability, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

A

changing your answer to look better
then measuring fake answers
overcome by ensuring anonymity

36
Q

what is researcher bias, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

A

researcher is expectant of an outcome so they measure the outcome rather than reality
overcome by having multiple researchers or double blind

37
Q

what are individual differences, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

A

when each participant is in one condition, individual differences between groups
overcome by repeated measures or matched pairs

38
Q

what are order effects, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

A

practice or fatigue effects in repeated measures

overcome by counterbalancing or matched pairs