3. Types Of Validity : Measuring And Improving

Question 1

What is validity?

Answer 1

Refers to the extent to which research is measuring what it sets out to measure. A test may be reliable but not valid.

Accuracy

Question 2

What are the types of validity?

Answer 2

• Internal
• External
• Temporal
• Population
• Ecological
• Face
• Concurrent

Question 3

What types of validity come under internal validity?

Answer 3

• Face

- Concurrent

Question 4

What types of validity come under external validity?

Answer 4

• Ecological
• Population
• Temporal

Question 5

What is internal validity?

Answer 5

In an experiment, the extent to which our findings are due to the manipulation of the IV and not any other uncontrolled variables

Question 6

What is temporal validity?

Answer 6

A type of external validity that concerns the extent to which research findings hold true over time

Question 7

What is ecological validity?

Answer 7

The extent to which an experimental effect can be generalised from the study to other situations and settings

Question 8

What is population validity?

Answer 8

The extent to which findings can be generalised from the sample tested to other populations

Question 9

What is face validity?

Answer 9

The extent to which the research looks as though it is doing what it claims to, on the surface level

Question 10

What is concurrent validity?

Answer 10

The extent to which a new measure (or instrument) compares (or concurs) to a previously validated measure

Question 11

What are confounding variables?

Answer 11

• uncontrolled variables

- if they are not removed the study will have low internal validity

Question 12

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 12

P’s may behave in a way that effects the outcome, making it less valid

Question 13

What is mundane realism ?

Answer 13

The degree to which the setting, the task or the procedure reflects that in real life

Question 14

What are the four ways to test validity?

Answer 14

• face validity/eyeball test
• concurrent validity
• temporal validity
• ecological validity

Question 15

How do you test validity with face validity/eyeball test

Answer 15

This involves experts examining the content of a test to see if it looks like it measures what its supposed to measure e.g. examining the content of an IQ test to ensure its testing intellect and not general knowledge

Question 16

How do you test validity with concurrent validity?

Answer 16

Compare the new method/test with an already well established one that claims to measure the same variables. P’s would complete the new and older tests and scores would be correlated looking for similarities. High positive correlation = concurrent validity

Question 17

How do you test validity with temporal validity?

How do you test validity with ecological validity?

Answer 17

• This could be assessed by repeating a study in different times to see if the experimental effect is still evident
• If similar results are found in different settings then the study can be said to have high ecological validity

Question 18

How do you improve concurrent validity?

Answer 18

From results of concurrent validity checks, if the new method does not correspond to an established measure then it can be tweaked and refined and then reassessed against the valid measure. This should help raise concurrent validity

Question 19

What do you improve with single blind techniques?

Answer 19

• improves internal validity

- P’s don’t know what condition they’re in, decreasing demand characteristics

Question 20

What do you improve with double blind techniques?

Answer 20

• improves internal validity

- Both p’s and investigators don’t know the condition allocations - reduces experimenter and participant variables

Question 21

How do you improve with eyeball tests by experts?

Answer 21

• Face validity
• By getting an expert to judge the content of a test or method on a surface level will help raise face validity. This is because it could hep insure the test is appropriate and relevant to the field of study

Question 22

What do you improve with large samples/careful sampling?

Answer 22

• population validity
• Increases variability and generalisability
• has more people - more people to ‘relate’ to

Question 23

How do you improve with temporal validity?

Answer 23

Main strategy to improve this type of validity is to replicate research. If we are able to show that with the periodic testing that a theory/test holds true then it has some temporal validity

Question 24

How do you improve with Ecological validity?

Answer 24

• To improve this we need to replicate research in different settings and even diverse methods
• e.g Hofling (1966) demonstrated we could fall into agentic state in a real life environment (hospital setting) as well as a lab. This shows Milgram’s study has ecological validity