Lesson 3 - Reliability- Assessing And Improving Reliability Flashcards
Test retest
Repeat the observation a second time using the same participants and compare results gained from the second observation with the first observation . The results should be similar and produce a correlation coefficient of +0.8 or more
Pilot study
A small scale trial run of the experiment to iron out any potential problems. This might include standardised instructions , debriefing and planning
What are self report examples
Interviews / questionnaires
Inter observer reliability
Make sure the observation isn’t biased. Use more than one observer/psychologist to observe and record the behaviours separately. The results from both should be compared and have a correlation coefficient of +0.8
How can you improve reliability if inter observer reliability is low
Ensure that behavioural categories have been operationalised properly and clearly so that each observer understands the categories properly.
The observers may need further training about which behaviours to observe
How to improve reliability of questions
We must make sure the questions are unambiguous. They should be very clear so that participants understand them and can give the same answers if the questions were asked again in the future
Inter researcher reliability
Make sure the self report isn’t biased.
If conducting an interview , it is possible to use more than one psychologist to interview the Ps separately or together
The researchers need to act in consistent ways and each researcher needs to carry out the experiment in the exact same way
Standardisation of instructions
If an experiment is conducted twice , then the procedures are repeated twice. Procedures should be exactly the same did each participant , this will ensure reliable results are gained
Key concepts and variables should be operationalised.
