Ch 4 - Validity Flashcards
Simply stated, Validity is …
a measure of an assessment’s accuracy
- how accurately an instrument/assessment evaluates the trait/variable it was designed to assess
Validity definition =
the degree to which evidence and theory support the interpretations of test scores entailed by proposed uses of tests
(are the inferences made from the test meaningful, appropriate, and useful to the counselor administering the test?)
Does validity measure the instrument (test/assessment)?
No it measures the application of these instruments and how the results they produce can be interpreted
Is the measure of validity absolute?
No it is contextually specific and may change across populations/cultures
In what terms is validity often expressed?
by magnitude or the degree to which validity is present
ie - low, moderate, high - modifiers
Validity speaks to the ____ of data
truthfulness (more valid data allows counselor to provide more effective services)
Using valid assessments allows counselors to do what two things?
- more accurately diagnose client presenting problems
2. formulate more well-informed treatment plans
How does validity advance the field of counseling at a macro-level?
- demonstrates services counselors offer are as effective as other controlled outcome studies
- fosters consumer confidence
What is the relationship between validity and reliability?
For an assessment to be considered valid, it first must be proved to be reliable.
(reliability is generally viewed as a necessary but not sufficient condition for validity)
What 6 aspects does the Unified Validity Theory assess?
- Content
- Substantive
- Structural
- Generalizability
- External
- Consequential
Content aspect of validity assess…
the relevance, representativeness, and technical quality of an assessment instrument
Substantive aspect of validity assesses….
the theoretical rationale for the observed consistencies in responses to assessment items
Structural aspect of validity assesses…
whether the internal structure of the assessment instrument is consistent with what is known about the internal structure of the construct domain being assessed
Generalizability aspect of validity assesses…
the ability of assessment information to generalize within a population and across other populations
External aspect of validity assesses…
both convergent and discriminant evidence of validity
Consequential aspect of validity assesses…
the actual and potential consequences of using an assessment instrument
What are the three primary types of validity?
Content, Criterion and Construct
What is Content validity?
refers to the ability of an instrument to fully assess or measure a construct of interest
When is an instrument content valid?
When its questions or items sufficiently sample from the entire universe of items for which the instrument was designed to sample
What is the first step of content validation?
to make sure a well-established construct is being used
what is the second step of content validation?
Identify the domains or subcategories of the construct
What is face validity?
assess whether an instrument appears to look like it measures what it is meant to measure
Can face validity be empirically measured?
No. No longer included in “the Standards”
What is criterion-related validity?
it assesses whether a test reflects a certain set of abilities
how is criterion-related validity measured?
test score are compared to a known standard or outcome measure.
What is criterion?
the standard or outcome measure is a criterion.
When is criterion-related validity used?
to understand the degree to which an assessment instrument predicts a specific outcome measure of a criterion (SATs = test & GPA = criterion)
What are the two approaches to obtaining validity evidence?
Concurrent validity and predictive validity
What is concurrent validity?
Concurrent validity is assessed when the test score and criterion performance measure are collected at approximately the same time (ie - Beck Depression Inventory (the test) and Criteria for Major Depressive Episode (criterion)
What is predictive validity?
Predictive validity is assessed when the criterion will take place at some point in the future, after test scores have been collected (SAT & college GPA)
4 characteristics of a sound criterion
- relevant and useful
- reliable
- free from bias
- immune from contamination
What is construct validity?
Construct validity is the extent to which a test may be said to accurately and thoroughly measure a particular construct or trait (love, wisdom, anxiety…)
Define construct:
an abstraction that cannot be seen directly but is valued because it helps organize the myriad of potential observations in the real world
What are the two conditions of construct validity?
- construct refers to an existing phenomenon, independent of how it is measure
- phenomenon causes response variation both in the real world and in the phenomenon’s measures
Define validity coefficient
a measure of how accurate a measure actually is
the validity coefficient computer should be at least ____ _____.
statistically significant
what are the guidelines for interpreting validity coefficients? (number ranges)
very high = > .50
high = .40 - .49
moderate = .21 - .39
low = < .20
